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Write Wild - Act Now to Keep Woodland Caribou in our Wilderness

Submitted by sven on Wed, 02/15/2012 - 00:06

To Canadians, caribou are iconic, akin to the maple leaf and the beaver.

Because of their sensitivity to disturbance, boreal woodland caribou are in trouble in Canada. Already they’ve been pushed off half their range by developments, which is why they have been listed under Canada’s Species At Risk Act (SARA). SARA requires the federal government to establish a recovery strategy, which is a path forward to preserve caribou.

Right now, the government is in the final days of accepting public comments on this strategy. This is our last chance to make sure a strong strategy is put in place, so boreal woodland caribou survive in more than just Canadian lore. Take the time right now to write a letter to the government of Canada, voicing your opinion. Your letter will be sent to Environment Minister Peter Kent, and the Boreal Woodland Caribou Recovery Team at Environment Canada.

The deadline for public comment is February 22, 2012. Please write your letter now.
 

Some points to consider:

  • The best strategy to ensure caribou thrive is to protect big chunks of intact forest
  • The draft strategy says that 65% of caribou critical habitat needs to undisturbed. It also says that the 65% doesn’t need to be in large blocks, but can be fragments interspersed with roads and developments. Unfortunately, woodland caribou avoid disturbed forest, moving as much as 8 kilometers away from disturbance. We need at least 90% of caribou critical habitat to be protected, as a precautionary measure, and it needs to be in large, intact blocks.
  • The draft strategy says that for some herds, efforts won’t be made to recover the herds to a self-sustaining level, essentially allowing them to die off. All herds should be recovered to self-sustaining levels.
  • The draft strategy says some herds are not going to be given enough critical habitat. Instead, the predators (wolves) and similar prey (deer and moose) will be killed off. Wolf culls instead of critical habitat protection is not acceptable as a recovery strategy.
  • The draft recovery strategy will pursue actions which give a 60% chance that caribou will survive, which is risky. Actions which give at least a 80% chance of success should be adopted, as a precautionary measure.
  • Finally, please make sure that you tell the federal government whether or not, in your opinion, all caribou herds should be recovered to self-sustaining levels by protecting their critical habitat.
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