Behind the town of Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast of BC lies the 140-hectare Mt. Elphinstone Provincial Park. Conservationists and a local advocacy group, Elphinstone Logging Focus, call for a 1,500-hectare park expansion to include the surrounding endangered old-growth and mature “dry maritime” forests. The unprotected slopes are home to some of the top mountain biking trails in BC, and the Elphinstone Community Health Trail has been built by locals and stretches five to six kilometres, connecting the three existing Provincial Park parcels. The area is on public or “Crown” land within Shishalh (Sechelt) territory and is managed under BC Timber Sales and the Sunshine Coast Community Forest.
As the province implements its commitment to essentially double the protected area in BC to 30% by 2030, it must also enact Ecosystem-Based Targets to ensure that rare forests like these are first in line for protection.
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