Protecting nature is not only environmentally wise, it makes good economic sense as many rural communities are discovering. In the new economy, preserving nature is essential for their on-going health and growth.

Parks are a Good Investment

A 1995 Coopers & Lybrand study done for the BC Ministry of Environment shows that economic activity generated by the park system sustains about 9,300 direct and indirect jobs in BC and contributes $430 million to the provincial coffers annually. These economic benefits of parks are widely distributed across British Columbia's communities and regions.

A Ministry of Forests' survey shows that each adult BC resident is prepared to pay, on average, $85 for a total of $172 million per year to preserve wilderness values and ensure outdoor recreation opportunities.

These values are important to BC residents and essential to our tourism industry. For each dollar spent on parks, British Columbians see a return of about nine dollars in visitor expenditures. Therefore, by protecting wilderness areas as parks, we secure places for recreation and a future for our growing tourism industry while ensuring a healthy environment.

Wild Spaces Have A Value Beyond Dollars

The pristine ecosystems we protect today in parks have evolved over a period of four billion years and can never be replicated. These are the result of natural processes that have gone on without human intervention and their worth measures beyond dollars.

There is strong support amongst British Columbians for the protection of Nature. When asked, 70% of BC residents state that it is a high priority to protect parks and wilderness area for future generations. In another survey, 81% of BC residents indicate that the preservation of natural environments is a "very important benefit" of BC parks.

In the US National Forests, revenue raised through forest-based recreation is expected to pump $100 billion into the US economy by the year 2000, while timber sales are expected to contribute $3.5 billion.

To pass on to future generations of British Columbians the range of biological wealth we ourselves inherited, we must set aside an example of each of BC's natural regions and ecosystems as parks while we still can. Recent protected area designations represent a crucial step forward, but we must stay the course to promptly complete our goal of preserving BC's natural heritage.

The Importance of Tourism

Tourism is now the world's largest industry ($4 trillion annually) and adventure tourism is its fastest growing sector. With our province's 'Super, Natural' scenery, wilderness, wildlife and environmental qualities, British Columbia is in a globally unique position to take advantage of this growth. Tourism BC projects an increase in spending in 1999 to $9.9 billion, up 47% from 1996.

According to the Pacific Asia Travel Association, tourists are increasingly identifying environmental issues as the prime reason to select a destination or facility. As well, the U.S. National Tour Operators Association found that 94% of adults surveyed expressed concern about environmental protection and were willing to spend more on environmentally sensitive tour products. Given that BC ranks second to California in North American tour revenues, it makes good business sense to protect our environment and thus our 'Super,Natural' marketing edge.

Tourism Job Creation is Essential to Rural BC

Tourism is a prime growth engine for rural British Columbia. While other resource sectors export trees and minerals out of region to far away markets-with the profits going to distant shareholders- tourism imports the market (and dollars) from afar into the region, thereby creating employment for local residents.

BC's tourism jobs are particularly important for the young. In a time when other resource sectors are shedding workers to increase productivity, tourism's employment of local youth is essential. As an example, Tofino's thriving tourism industry employs many of the young workers of Port Alberni and Ucluelet, who no longer can get forestry jobs in those towns.

Tourism provides exceptional lifestyle and entrepreneurial opportunities and is crucial to maintaining well-paid service industries jobs in real estate, hotel management and banking.

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