| Ontario's Northern Boreal Forest is at Risk! |
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| Sunday, 27 May 2007 | |
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The Boreal Forest is one of the world’s last remaining pristine forests – larger even, than the Amazonian Rainforest. Reaching across North America and into Russia, the Boreal Forest forms a “green halo” across the top of the globe. Ontario has a significant portion of Canada’s Boreal Forest, which is characterized by large tracts of old-growth White and Black spruce, Jack pine and Balsam fir. North of an imaginary line along the 51st parallel, Ontario’s Boreal Forest is largely intact, meaning it has not yet been destroyed by human activity. The Ontario government must take the important steps required to protect the Northern Boreal Forest now.
In 2003 Dalton McGuinty promised to implement broad-scale conservation measures in Ontario’s north before allowing industrial development such as forestry, mining and hydro-electric projects, to proceed. He pledged to “ institute meaningful, broad-scale land-use planning for Ontario’s Northern Boreal Forest before any new major development . . . Land use planning must protect the ecological integrity of this natural treasure . . .” However, the government - after 4 years in power - has yet to develop a comprehensive land-use plan for the Northern Boreal.
It is essential for the health of the Boreal Forest that McGuinty fulfills his promise. Because of the lack of comprehensive land-use planning, development has been allowed to proceed in a haphazard way in the North, putting our wilderness and wildlife at risk. Environmental groups and First Nations communities that live in the Northern Boreal are asking the government for a moratorium on all development until conservation measures are in place to protect the forest. If development is to proceed in the Northern Boreal, it must be carefully planned to ensure that sensitive ecosystems are protected and that resource extraction will not have a negative impact on the health of the forest. We cannot allow unplanned development to destroy one of the world’s last remaining intact forests.
The Boreal Forest performs a wide variety of ecological functions that are crucial to all life on the planet. The Boreal Forest is the world’s largest terrestrial carbon sink, absorbing 34% of global carbon emissions. This means that it plays an essential role in limiting climate change and acts as a protective shield. If the Boreal Forest is destroyed, the planet won’t be able to absorb as much carbon, and all the carbon that has been stored over hundreds of years in the Boreal Forest will be released back into the atmosphere; both of which will contribute significantly to global warming. In a time when global warming is threatening our planet, we need to ensure that the largest carbon sink on earth is protected. The Boreal Forest also performs an array of other ecological “services”, such as filtering pollutants out of our air and water, and providing habitat for thousands of wildlife species. It is home to important species like caribou, bears, wolves, marten, wolverines and also provides nesting habitat for more than 300 species of birds, many of which do not nest in any other location.
Home to an Iconic Canadian Species Ontario’s Boreal Forest is also home to the elusive Woodland Caribou, the species which appears on the back of the Canadian quarter. Listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and on the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO), as “threatened”, the Woodland Caribou needs large tracts of undisturbed forest to survive. Caribou were once abundant throughout Ontario, but have been forced farther and farther north as industrial activity, such as forestry, mining, and road building, have infringed on their habitat. Today Ontario’s Woodland Caribou only live in the Northern Boreal Forest. Scientists predict that if their habitat decline continues at its current rate, this iconic species may be pushed to extinction within the next 80 years. For this reason, it is especially important to protect Ontario’s Boreal. The government must halt all industrial development north of the 51st parallel, until it has implemented far-reaching conservation measures to ensure the survival of Woodland Caribou.
Only 8% of Canada’s Boreal Forest is protected from industrial development. Considering its vital role in maintaining the health and well-being of the planet, this largely intact forest must be saved before it is too late. Every year, millions of hectares of the forest are lost to clear-cutting. Ontario must take a stand, and develop a land-use plan for its Northern Boreal to ensure that only limited, sustainable development is permitted in this national treasure. Tell the government that planning must precede development in Ontario’s Northern Boreal. Remind the Premier that our unallocated forests have tremendous ecological value given their ability to absorb carbon and the habitat they provide for many wildlife species like Caribou. Also, lend your voice of support to the 9 aboriginal communities in the Northern Boreal Forest that have called for the protection of their traditional lands from development.
For more information, contact Earthroots Forest Campaigner, Catharine Grant at 416-599-0152 x13 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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