Clayoquot Sound has been a focal point for conflict between the forest industry and environmental protesters, particularly in the summer of 1993. Protesters responded to a decision by the British Columbia government to permit logging of old growth forest in the region by a campaign of civil disobedience, including blocking access to logging sites.
Clayoquot Sound was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2000.
Clayoquot is the name of a Nootka tribe.