Ottawa -  The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) welcomes the release of a groundbreaking report from Environment Canada that underscores the importance of protecting large areas of Boreal forest wilderness that are home to Canada’s nationally at risk woodland caribou.

  
"This report is the most extensive scientific review ever conducted of the status of this nationally threatened species," says Aran O’Carroll, National Manager, Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, for CPAWS.

“The woodland caribou is one of Canada’s most treasured animals, and this report shows that it is in worse trouble than we previously thought,” continues O'Carroll. That is because of continuing destruction of caribou habitat from industrial development and road building.
 
“CPAWS is calling for an immediate pause to logging and new development activity in critical caribou habitat," he says.  "We have to tackle the problem of habitat loss while we take the next step of putting measures in place for the species' long-term survival. The caribou cannot wait – and neither should we,” Mr. O'Carroll argues.

Canada needs to protect at least half of the Boreal forest to ensure the survival of caribou

The report validates the position of CPAWS and a growing number of other environmental groups, First Nations, companies and scientists, who are partners in the Boreal Leadership Council, states O'Carroll. "The science shows that we need to protect at least half of the carbon-rich Boreal forest if we are to ensure the caribou's long-term survival and slow the effects of climate change."

 

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society has evidence that Canadians care deeply about the future of woodland caribou. A year ago CPAWS launched a national campaign, ‘Caribou and You’ (www.caribouandyou.ca), to protect the habitat of Boreal woodland caribou. Since then, more than 10,000 Canadians have signed a petition asking the federal government to fulfill Canada's obligation under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and act to conserve the caribou’s forest habitat.

Woodland caribou, a species that indicates the health of our Boreal forest wilderness, have lost at least half of their original Boreal range across Canada. They've disappeared entirely from the Maritimes and the eastern United States. So far efforts to protect caribou have failed.

"It's time for all governments to dramatically pick up the pace of their efforts to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitats. That includes releasing the draft national recovery strategy for Boreal woodland caribou, accelerating action planning for this species and consulting with Aboriginal Canadians," Aran O'Carroll says.

The report indicates that unless Canada adopts a new approach to protecting caribou habitat, caribou will become extinct by the end of this century.

O'Carroll concedes that a pause to logging and other new development will cause concern to communities that depend on forestry and other extractive industries. But he believes that a pause in logging, for instance, would give the ailing Canadian forest industry an opportunity to become the international leader in "green forestry" by developing a caribou-friendly approach to planning their operations and protecting Canada's globally significant Boreal wilderness.

CPAWS is also calling on Minister Prentice to accelerate overdue consultations with Aboriginal Canadians on woodland caribou recovery planning, including respectfully gathering their Traditional Knowledge of woodland caribou.