A giant tract of land in southeastern British Columbia will become protected habitat, the Canadian government and Nature Conservancy Canada announced Thursday. The so-called Darkwoods area, purchased from a private forester, adds up to 550 square kilometers of mountains, valleys, and wetlands (that’s 212 square miles, for metric-system hatas). The area is home to endangered mountain caribou, grizzly bears, bull trout, red-tailed chipmunks, and 100,000 migratory birds of 265 different species. The Canadian government and the Nature Conservancy Canada jointly paid $125 million to both purchase the land and pay into an endowment fund to ensure the area continues to be protected in the future. “Darkwoods is a conservation initiative of global significance,” says the Nature Conservancy’s John Lounds. “It’s part of a greater vision that will set new standards for conservation success.”
