Canada's Great Bear Rainforest - a priceless treasure
Nestled between high alpine reaches and the Pacific Ocean, the Great
Bear Rainforest on the west coast of Canada is part of the world's rarest
and most threatened type of ancient forest. This ancient forest, in British
Columbia, has some of the oldest, largest and most magnificent trees on
earth. Here, you find 1000 year old cedar trees and Sitka spruce that
grow as high as 30 storey buildings.
The Great Bear Rainforest gets its name from the grizzly, black and spirit
bears that live there. Grizzly bears are listed as vulnerable to extinction by
the Federal Government's Committee on the status of Endangered Wildlife
in Canada. The unique white-coated spirit bears, also known as Kermode
bears, are found nowhere else on earth.
The Great Bear Rainforest is also home to animals such as grey wolves,
black-tailed deer, mountain goats, great grey owls, otters and eagles.
Pure freshwater salmon streams weave through the valley floors providing
a vital source of food for many of these creatures. Within the old growths
of Sitka spruce, red and yellow cedar, western hemlock and Douglas fir,
thousands of other species - many that have never been identified
