Woodland caribou: Canary in the coal mine
The woodland caribou is a symbol of Ontario’s vast wilderness. But unrestrained development of Ontario’s forests threatens both the woodland caribou and the wilderness it symbolizes. Woodland caribou have disappeared from half of their historic range as their habitat has been developed, dissected by roads, logged and converted to younger, less diverse forests. The fate of the caribou and Ontario’s wilderness are intertwined: failing to protect one will mean the loss of the other.
Ontario’s woodland caribou
- Are listed as a threatened species by the federal government.
- Have been pushed north at a rate of about 34 km per decade, a rate that if continued would push the species to extinction in Ontario in 49-57 years.
- Require large, intact forests that are protected from industrial activity. The average range size of a population is 9,000 km2, to which a 13-kilometre buffer of intact forest should be added to create areas large enough to sustain caribou. Currently, there are only two parks in the province that are of the scale required for caribou, and even these may be too small.
Woodland caribou and industrial activities do not mix. Ontario needs to protect large, intact areas of Boreal Forest to prevent corporate logging and mining from driving caribou from the landscape. Protecting forests on this scale would also meet the needs of other species at risk like wolverine and secure carbon storage. Despite the growing scientific evidence that this is necessary, logging continues unabated in the last areas large enough to support caribou in the Boreal Forest. Over the past four years no habitat has been protected for caribou.
The Ontario government has promised to adopt a plan to protect large areas
of caribou habitat by June 2009. This will be accomplished through the
implementation of the new Endangered Species Act for woodland caribou. The
identification and protection of the habitat caribou need to survive will be
a measure of ecological sustainability for Ontario's Boreal and the success
of the new Endangered Species Act to actually protect species at risk.
Protecting caribou habitat also makes good business sense. Companies
buying wood and paper products are recognizing the plight of caribou
and other endangered species and are looking to shift their purchasing
to regions that practice sustainable forest management.
“The growing controversy about logging in caribou range is of serious
concern to us, and we want to ensure that our paper consumption does not
contribute to the demise of endangered species.”
-Tom Katzenmeyer, Senior Vice President, Community and Philanthropy Limited Brands
If woodland caribou are going to survive for future generations, Ontario’s political leaders need to demonstrate leadership by committing to protect the large, intact areas of Boreal Forest that are home to woodland caribou.
