Woodland caribou on road to extinction, report warns

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This article was published 14/07/2011 (5549 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The caribou, that iconic animal stamped on the Canadian quarter, is on the road to extinction, a report released by a panel of scientists from Canada and the United States warned Wednesday.

An “all-star” panel of scientists from both sides of the border urges Canada to carve out more northern parks to turn the animals’ fate around.

Parks may be the best way to protect the species in the country’s fragile and disturbed boreal forest, the report suggests.

The report, Keeping Woodland Caribou in the Boreal Forest, was released at the same time Canadian and American environmentalists appealed to Canadian premiers and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take action on a political level.

The Canadian Boreal Initiative and the U.S.-based Pew Environmental Group’s International Boreal Conservation Campaign made caribou a public priority last winter in Winnipeg at a scientific conference of experts from Greenland to Alaska on the fate of the world’s caribou herds.

“There is now wide agreement on what needs to be done, and while we cannot put a timeline on it, it is clear that failure to act will place these iconic animals on the road to extinction,” said Jeffrey Wells, report co-author and a senior adviser with the Pew Environmental Group.

Alone among the provinces, the Manitoba NDP government was praised by the group.

“Your government has provided outstanding, world-class leadership on boreal forest conservation issues, particularly on the east side of Lake Winnipeg, and for this we applaud you,” a letter from Pew and the Boreal Initiative said.

The environmentalists called on Manitoba to incorporate scientific analysis on caribou declines with aboriginal and treaty rights land management in plans to set land aside for the province’s woodland caribou.

“Canadians are demanding action on caribou conservation. What we need is collaboration between federal, provincial, territorial and aboriginal governments and support from industry and conservation organizations,” said Larry Innes, executive director of the Canadian Boreal Initiative.

In Ottawa, a spokeswoman for Environment Minister Peter Kent said caribou face threats but more parks may not be the solution.

Instead, Ottawa will identify caribou habitat and set up timelines for action plans as part of a consultation process with the provinces, territories, aboriginal people and the public. “The government is leading the process to develop a national recovery strategy for the entire population of boreal caribou in Canada. The proposed national recovery strategy will be posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry for comment by the end of summer of 2011,” Melissa Lantsman said.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca