Canada must save the woodland caribou

By the Editorial Board
Toronto Star
November 1, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada

The woodland caribou, a symbol of our country, considered sacred and a vital resource in many Indigenous communities, will be extinct by the end of the century if the current rate of population decline is allowed to continue. Faced with this alarming fact, the federal government five years ago took action, asking every province to develop a plan to protect the animal. … The causes of the animal’s extraordinary decline are many, including climate change and increased predation, but none is so salient as the boreal’s degradation by human activity. …Of course, the impact on industry and jobs of greater habitat protection must be managed. But if we do nothing, the outcome is all but certain: some alive today will live to see a country without caribou. …In Canada, by virtue of our vast wilderness, rich wildlife, three oceans and enormous holdings of fresh water, we have a special responsibility to conserve. Yet recent reports suggest we are failing in this regard.

Read More