Here is a preliminary little overview video filmed October 3rd on the positions up until then of the 2 largest political parties in BC about nature and old-growth protection. They had not released their platforms yet, so it's based on the NDP government's track record and on the BC Conservatives' 2024 platform and their subsequent statements. In the write-up below it also includes the Greens, who just released their platform on forestry several days after the vid was made.
As they release their 2026 platforms and policy positions on old-growth forests and nature protection for this election, we will provide updates and new videos and we will also expand the topic areas related to BC forestry and nature and cover other parties.
Nature and Old-Growth Forest Protection - BC's Political Parties’ Positions (October 7, 2026)
BC NDP (based on their track record and previous commitments)
Committed to protecting 30% of lands and waters in BC by 2030.
Protected thousands of square kilometers, including old-growth forests in Clayoquot Sound, the Incomappleux Valley, and Klinse-za/Twin Sisters, with much greater areas in advanced stages toward protection (millions of hectares slated for protection), all involving conservation financing and working with First Nations.
Deferred logging in over 2 million hectares that includes some of the grandest, oldest, and rarest old-growth forests in BC.
Before the election, started moving toward an environmentally destructive "Working Forest" proposal to create guaranteed logging zones across much of the productive forest lands of BC to obstruct new protected areas, lift old-growth logging deferrals and vastly expand the rate of cut.
See: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/.../ministries.../ministries/forests and https://www.bcndp.ca/releases
BC Conservatives (based on their previous 2024 platform and subsequent policy statements)
Have not committed to protecting 30% by 2030 of BC, nor to expanding the protected areas system in general.
Have generally expressed concerns and opposition to old-growth deferrals and their impacts on the available timber supply.
Proposed their own Working Forest-type proposal—even more extreme than the BC NDP’s. Spanning 22 million hectares, it would cover the entire extent of unprotected, productive forest lands in BC (the Timber Harvesting Land Base, which contains the big trees, richest biodiversity, and highest conservation value lands at the center of BC's forest controversy) to ensure "supply stability" for the timber industry. They state that the remainder of Crown lands (largely alpine, subalpine, far north, and areas with small trees or no trees) would be "for biodiversity"—though logging could still occur in these "biodiversity emphasis" areas as a "secondary value" (i.e., logging even in conservation areas).
See: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/.../Conservative_Party...
BC Greens (based on their new forest policy statement and previous commitments)
Committed to protecting all big-tree old-growth and large second-growth forests by working with First Nations including with conservation financing.
Committed to implementing all 14 recommendations of BC’s Old-Growth Strategic Review panel.
Oppose any Working Forest designation.
Previously they committed to BC’s 30% by 2030 protection target.
See: https://bcgreens.ca/announce-plan-to-reform-forestry.../