The Coast Information Team (CIT) was established in April 2001 by the B.C. government, the Coast Forest Conservation Initiative, and Rainforest Solutions Project to develop independent information and analyses in support of ecosystem-based management (EBM) in the north and central coastal region of British Columbia, including Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands.
 

Services: Cortex support to the CIT included financial tracking, accounts management, contract development, workplan and invoice monitoring, fundraising ($1 million), support to the CIT Management Committee, design of the CIT logo, design and development of the CIT Website (www.citbc.org), and editing/layout of final CIT reports.

Outcomes: Cortex contributed to the successful management of a large and complex $3.3 million project, and the documentation of lessons learned and recommendations for projects of similar magnitude. Products of the CIT included analyses that identified priority areas for biodiversity conservation, cultural and social practices, and economic development; guiding principles, a scientific basis, a planning handbook, and an institutional framework for implementing ecosystem-based management; and an assessment of human and ecosystem wellbeing in the CIT analysis area.