FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES/VANCOUVER – As World Cup soccer matches get underway and Vancouver welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors looking to enjoy B.C.’s spectacular nature along with the tournament, Sierra Club BC has launched a massive ad campaign with an alarming message: “100 soccer fields of old-growth forests are still clear-cut every day in B.C.” The ad campaign also calls on people to send a message to the provincial government at protectoldgrowth.ca.

“The World Cup reminds us of our unique place in the world when it comes to our forests—they are globally rare and disappearing under our watch. British Columbia is home to some of the last endangered old-growth forests on Earth. As the world turns its attention to Vancouver, the B.C. government has an opportunity to lead the world by taking real steps to protect these precious ecosystems for future generations,” said Shelley Luce, campaigns director at Sierra Club BC.

The ad campaign launched on June 11 and includes online videos and graphics as well as transit tunnel ads on the Vancouver Skytrain, digital screens across Downtown Vancouver, billboards, an LED truck in and multiple building projections throughout the tournament.

Old-growth forests are an essential part of the foundation of life in B.C. They provide our communities with clean air and water, shelter endangered species, support B.C.’s billion-dollar tourism industry, and are culturally important to many First Nations. But these values are all being eroded by continued industrial over-cutting, climate change-fueled wildfires and slow conservation progress.

Despite repeated promises from the provincial government to protect these at-risk ecosystems and reform forest stewardship, the clear-cutting of the last ancient stands continues. A recent independent expert report titled ‘Closer to the Brink’ showed an average of 100 soccer fields of irreplaceable old growth are cut down every day. Only a fraction of the most endangered old growth ecosystems remains standing, and the majority of what remains is still without protection.

“Continued clearcutting of endangered old-growth forests during the biodiversity and climate crisis is unconscionable. Investing in a regenerative, second-growth forestry industry is the only way to ensure sustainable forestry and maintain the beauty, biodiversity and benefits of these globally rare ecosystems,” said Jens Wieting, senior policy and science advisor at Sierra Club BC. “At a time when the world needs leadership on biodiversity and climate, B.C. can help Canada lead and meet international conservation commitments by safeguarding the irreplaceable forests that remain.”

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