Located in south-eastern British Columbia, the project began in 2008 when the project developer purchased around 63,000 hectares (156,000 acres) of private Boreal forest to protect it from subdivision, high-impact logging and other environmental threats. The project zones and monitors different areas of the property and targets specific areas for: stringent biodiversity preservation by limiting/deactivating roads, infrastructure, and activity; public access; invasive species control, conservation research, and a low level of sustainable harvesting. The project leverages carbon finance to conserve critical ecosystems and carbon sequestration areas at an unprecedented scale.

The project delivers approximately 415,000 tonnes of emissions reductions annually to help take urgent action to combat climate change (SDG 13) by avoiding the release of carbon through timber harvesting, road building and other forestry operations. In addition, the project supports other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• Life on Land (SDG 15): Due to the history of conservation-based management on the property, it is one of the most ecologically diverse forest areas in Canada. The project area is home to 39 tree or animal species at risk of extinction. The conservation of Darkwoods also protects the integrity of nearby protected lands, and helps to establish a corridor for a number of wide-ranging animals that smaller, fragmented pieces of land could not sustain. This includes an isolated population of grizzly bear: 26,000 grizzly bears inhabit the natural areas of British Columbia. This is more than 50% of Canada’s entire grizzly bears population. Even more notably, the area provides crucial winter habitat for the only remaining mountain caribou herd in the region, which rely on the lichen that grows only on old growth trees as well as large unfragmented forests for seasonal migrations. Southern mountain caribou numbers in British Columbia have declined by 1000 over the last thirty years.

• Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6): With an impact on 17 different watersheds, several streams, and more than 50 lakes, Darkwoods is essential to maintaining freshwater systems across the mountainous area. Numerous plant and animal species, as well as local residents, have access to pure water thanks to the forests of Darkwoods, which also serve as natural water filters and purifiers. There have been ongoing net ecosystem services advantages, such as improved water quality, thanks to the restoration of damaged ecosystems and conservation of the project area.