International conservation honour for Canadian forestry company in Clayoquot Sound

(Key Biscayne, USA: 13 November 2001) - A native-controlled company in Canada will receive an international honour today for its outstanding environmental and social commitment to the forests of Clayoquot Sound, BC. Iisaak Forest Resources Limited is safeguarding habitat and setting aside valleys of pristine old growth forests as part of its revolutionary forestry management techniques. World Wildlife Fund is recognizing this Gift to the Earth as WWF CEO's from around the world gather for their annual conference in Key Biscayne, Florida today.

Gift to the Earth is a distinction reserved for environmental efforts of vast significance. Since the programme started six years ago, only one other Gift has been given by Canada, when the B.C. government agreed to protect 1million hectares of the northern Rockies in 1997. A few months earlier, Russia inaugurated the programme with a Gift protecting 70 million hectares of wilderness in the Sakha Republic.

Steven Price, Director of WWF-Canada's North American Conservation programme, said "Iisaak has achieved a very high standard of environmental protection and First Nations involvement in forestry, better positioning them in the global marketplace with the increasing number of environmentally conscious consumers. High standards for sustainable forestry is a growing international phenomenon, with major companies like Europe's AssiDomän, Canada's Tembec Inc., and the billion-dollar retailer, The Home Depot, committing themselves to the criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). "

In July 2001 Iisaak earned FSC certification - the stamp of approval of an environmentally well-managed forest. The company's revolutionary forestry management techniques include establishing a linked network of ecologically sensitive areas and First Nations cultural zones before identifying where careful logging can occur.

Iisaak was formed after clashes in Clayoquot Sound between loggers and environmentalists eight years ago, that drew international attention. The Managing Director of Iisaak, Eric Schroff, says "conflict forced change in Clayoquot Sound. First Nations rose to the occasion and started to work, with input from environmentalists, towards creating a solution to the resource management issues in the area rather than letting conflict spiral into chaos. These initiatives are happening elsewhere in the world, but Iisaak is a compelling example because it is in a developed country - here, in North America."

For the last two years, WWF-Canada has advised Iisaak on seeking FSC certification. Iisaak's extensive protected areas network in Clayoquot Sound meets a 1999 accord signed with five local NGOs -- Greenpeace Canada, Greenpeace International, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club of BC, and Western Canada Wilderness Committee.