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GLOBE-Net (December 16, 2009) - CBC reports that B.C.'s Haida First Nation plans to make the most out of the fight against climate change by setting aside one quarter its forested land mass in the hope of attracting millions of dollars in the growing carbon trading market.

More: http://www.globe-net.com

Haida council president Giindajin Haawasti Guujaaw is quoted as saying that corporations involved in industries that produce large amounts of carbon dioxide are willing to pay to offset their carbon footprint, which they can do by preserving forest lands.

Guujaaw said the plan would not only be lucrative but will help ensure the forest lands are preserved. Corporations buying these offsets would not be buying the land, but paying a hefty fee to preserve the trees for a set period of time.

The Haida and the province of British Columbia reached an agreement this month on a broad-reaching land use and economic development agreement that included officially renaming the Queen Charlotte Islands with the traditional native name Haida Gwaii.

The agreement, signed by Premier Gordon Campbell and Guujaaw, calls for the province and Haida to reach a co-management arrangement for land-use decisions, revenue sharing and $10 million in cash for the Haida to buy forest tenures on a "willing buyer, willing seller basis

Guujaaw said the protocol will create the means needed to manage land use and economic activity in a way that is "more respectful of wildlife and our culture." This includes determining what the 2,500 sq. km of forest lands are worth as carbon offsets and how any money earned would be used to manage the protected areas.

The B.C. government has given environmental approval to two new wind farms, including one that would be Canada's first offshore wind farm.

The Naikun Wind Project has cleared the major environmental hurdle for its plan to build up to 110 electricity-generating windmills in the Hecate Strait, off the Queen Charlotte Islands.

More: http://www.globe-net.com