In 1984, the Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations of Clayoquot Sound by Tofino declared this magnificent island – with some of the very largest redcedar trees on Earth – as Canada’s first Tribal Park. Since then, the Tla-o-qui-aht have expanded the Tribal Park designation to include the Clayoquot, Kennedy, and Tranquil Valleys.
Clayoquot Sound contains the largest tracts of remaining old-growth temperate rainforests left in southern BC. The Tla-o-qui-aht’s Tribal Park model is inspiring indigenous people throughout BC and abroad to devise their own protected areas. Today, Meares Island is one of the most popular ancient forest tourism destinations on Earth! Photography by TJ Watt.
