VANCOUVER - The Conservative government has announced it intends to contribute $30 million to protect the area of land on B.C.'s Central/> Coast/>/> known as the Great Bear Rainforest.

Environment Minister John Baird says the funding should be in place within the next three months.

Private organizations and philanthropic groups have also committed to an additional $60-million for the region, which encompasses forest land three times the size of Prince Edward Island/>/>.

An additional $30-million has been set aside by the B.C. government for new job strategies for coastal First Nations.

Last February, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said the province would protect close to one-third of the region from all logging and the rest would require sustainable logging practices.

The area is the largest intact temperate rainforest left on earth, is home to thousands of species of plants, birds and animals.

Sunday's announcement is the latest in a series of green funding commitments by the Tories.