GATINEAU, QC, June 19,
2024 /CNW/ - The Boreal Caribou—also known as the
Forest-Dwelling Caribou in Quebec—is an iconic species for
Canadians and plays a significant role in the culture and history
of Indigenous peoples. The species is found only in Canada, and responsibility for its long-term
survival and recovery is shared by federal, provincial, and
territorial governments.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment
and Climate Change, announced that the Government of Canada is initiating the process of making an
emergency order to protect the habitat of the three most at-risk
Boreal Caribou populations in Canada: the Val-d'Or, Charlevoix, and Pipmuacan
populations.
In the coming weeks, the Government of Canada will consult with the Government of
Quebec, Quebec's Indigenous communities, the public,
and stakeholders and interested parties, including local
communities and industries, on the boundaries of potential
protection areas and the scope of proposed prohibitions that would
apply within them. Following these consultations, the drafting of
the order will be finalized. Once in place, the order will
protect targeted areas of the best available habitat for these
three Boreal Caribou populations by prohibiting activities such as
logging and road network expansions.
Originally promised in 2016, the tabling of Quebec's strategy for protecting Boreal and
Mountain Caribou has been postponed many times. In
August 2022, the Government of Quebec recommitted to publishing a
comprehensive strategy by June 2023 and to implementing
measures to reduce the disturbance rate of undisturbed habitat to
65 percent within the range of each population. Although the
Government of Quebec recently
presented pilot projects for the Charlevoix and Gaspésie
populations, no comprehensive strategy has been announced, and the
species faces imminent threats to its recovery.
Quotes
"The federal government is committed to protecting our country's
biodiversity and halting the degradation of our natural heritage.
The caribou is an iconic animal of Canada. We pursued a collaborative approach,
waited for Quebec to table a
comprehensive strategy, and it was repeatedly postponed. In the
absence of a strategy in place, and faced with the imminent threat
to these populations, we have a responsibility to act to ensure the
recovery and sustainability of caribou. The Government of
Canada remains open to
collaborating with and supporting the Government of Quebec in implementing measures to ensure the
recovery of this species as part of a global strategy, as well as
for the support of local communities."
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and
Climate Change
Quick facts
- The Boreal Caribou has been listed as a "threatened" species
since 2003 under Canada's
Species at Risk Act (SARA) and as a "vulnerable" species
since 2005 under Quebec's Act
Respecting Threatened or Vulnerable Species.
- On May 10, 2024, based on an
imminent threat assessment, the Minister of Environment and Climate
Change formed the opinion that the Boreal Caribou is facing
imminent threats to its recovery. Section 80 of the Species at
Risk Act contains provisions to protect species at risk and
their habitat on non-federal land and specifies that the Minister
is required to recommend to the Governor in Council that an
emergency order be made if the Minister is of the opinion that the
species faces imminent threats to its survival or recovery.
- Public consultations are underway. Information, including a
discussion paper and a survey, are available on the Species at Risk
Public Registry.
- Quebec is home to
approximately 15 percent of Canada's Boreal Caribou population. The
populations of Val-d'Or and
Charlevoix live year-round in enclosures with nine and 30
individuals, respectively. Val-d'Or has already crossed the threshold of
quasi-extinction, and Charlevoix is very close to reaching it. With
fewer than 300 animals, the population of Pipmuacan could cross
this threshold in around 10 years.
- In 2023, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
determined that significant portions of the Boreal Caribou's
critical habitat were not effectively protected in Quebec and, as required by the Species at
Risk Act, recommended to the Governor in Council that a
critical habitat protection order be put in place.
- In 2012, the Government of Canada released the Boreal Caribou Recovery
Strategy, which called for provinces and territories to develop
management strategies, also called range plans, to protect critical
habitat for Boreal Caribou. Since then, all provinces and
territories, except Quebec, have
signed conservation agreements to support the recovery and
protection of Boreal Caribou.
- The Boreal Caribou is an indicator of the health of the boreal
forest, an ecosystem of great importance to many threatened
species. This emergency order could improve the situation of up to
80 other species that live in the boreal forest in Quebec.
Related products
- Emergency Order to Protect Boreal Caribou Habitat in
Quebec (Backgrounder)
- Imminent Threat Assessment for the Caribou (Rangifer
tarandus), Boreal Population
Associated links
- Caribou in Canada – Boreal
Caribou
- Amended Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (2020)
- Significant Progress Made in Discussions Between Canada and
Quebec on the Management,
Protection, and Recovery of Boreal and Gaspésie Caribou
(August 22, 2022)
- Government of Canada Sets Timeline for Quebec Protection Plans
for Boreal Caribou (June 15,
2023)
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SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada