英语优秀作文保护一片被遗忘的森林

保护一片被遗忘的森林

Protecting the Forgotten Forest

British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest, a section of the world’s largest coastal temperate rain forest, gets new protection

A swath of British Columbia’s coast, a wildlife-rich tapestry of forests, fjords, and wave-pounded islands, is being protected as parkland. Almost 3 million acres of the Great Bear Rainforest’s total 16 million acres were designated this year as “protected areas” that are equivalent to parks, with logging and other development forbidden. About 1.4 million acres already were protected.

The new protected areas, part of the largest coastal temperate rain forest left in the world, are isolated wilderness, and can be reached only by boat, seaplane or tough hiking. The areas are scattered over 250 miles of rugged cast that stretches from near northern Vancouver Island to the border with Alaska.

“it’ s such a large landscape that you really can’t describe it as a park,” said B.C. government spokesman Mike Morton, although the level of protection is similar to that of parks. And those who have the time, and money, to explore this remote land will find natural beauty that rivals any national park.

Flora and fauna—and culture, too

In these untouched forests, some towering trees are more than 800 years old. Amid the coast’s maze of islands, the waters teem with orca and humpback whales, dolphins and salmon. Hundreds of bird species shelter in the forest and along the shores. Moose, wolves and bears prowl the land.

There’s rich cultural history, too. The coast is the ancestral homeland of First Nations groups, and a handful of Native villages dotting the coast are turning to ecotourism as part of their economic future.

“I see a big boost for ecotourism.. there’s great potential,” said Amanda Carr, a forest specialist with Greenpeace. It and other environmental groups campaigned for years for protection of the Great Bear Rainforest, a name bestowed during the campaigns to protect its old-growth forests and wildlife.

Specialized Terms

Temperate (adj) neither very hot nor very cold

Orca (n) a black and white whale that hunts, kills and eats large fish and squid; killer whale

First nations (n) in Canada, the communities of indigenous people who are descended from the peoples that inhabited Canada before the arrival of European settlers

Ecotourism (n) the business of organizing tours to places that people do not usually visit in a way which helps local people and does not damage the environment

Old-growth forest (n) a group of ancient trees living within an area that has not been logged in modern times

Vocabulary Focus

Swath (n) a long strip of land

Tapestry (n) a multicolored scene, especially one sewn on richly designed cloth

Maze (n) a confusing network of passages that look alike

Teem with (v) to contain large numbers of living creatures

Bestow (v) to give as an honor

Discussion Question

Doesn’t it sound like China should do it, too, even though it’s such an abundant place?