New Protection for Woodland Caribou

By Ron Thiessen, CPAWS

In Spring 2005, I gave Manitoba Conservation Minister Stan Struthers a bottle of Caribou Wine and asked that it be opened to celebrate when Manitoba provides legal protection for its threatened woodland caribou. A year later, after an assertive campaign by CPAWS and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, the Minister and I raised our glasses to protected status for woodland caribou under the Manitoba Endangered Species Act.

Conservation biologists are concerned about the survival of Canada's woodland caribou as they have already been eliminated from three provinces, and their numbers are declining across their range. This is mainly due to habitat destruction caused by human activities that fail to plan for caribou's needs, such as logging, mining, and hydro projects. In Manitoba, the provincial government estimates its woodland caribou population has decreased by 50% since 1950.

Woodland caribou need immense sections of unbroken boreal forest to obtain an adequate food supply and avoid predators. Even low levels of industrial activity have negative impact on caribou ranges, so it's critical that we practice large-scale conservation. In protecting huge, ecologically intact regions of boreal forest, we also safeguard the ecological services we all rely on--Canadians depend on the boreal for clean water, clean air, jobs, food, or supplies. The boreal forest is the world's largest source of fresh water, regulates Earth's climate, and has been deemed the "northern lungs of the planet" due to its oxygen production.

Across the nation, caribou habitats must be protected through legislation. In Manitoba, we've won the campaign to have woodland caribou listed under the Manitoba Endangered Species Act, which mandates habitat protection. The next step is to ensure the law becomes reality on the ground through creation of large protected areas in Manitoba's boreal forest.

CPAWS is working to make certain the Manitoba government revises its provincial Caribou Recovery Strategy so that its primary objective is full protection of large intact woodland caribou habitats. Granting the land protection requests from First Nations on the east side of Lake Winnipeg would go a long way in achieving the Strategy's stated goal of self-sustaining boreal woodland caribou populations. This Manitoba government action would also increase the region's eligibility for the proposed 43,000 square kilometer World Heritage Site—that's over 1.5 times the size of Vancouver Island! The quest for this World Heritage Site is led by First Nations and officially supported by the present Manitoba government.

Manitoba's woodland caribou are in peril, but we can create a healthy future for them if the right decisions are made right now. It's time for the provincial NDP government to show the world that Manitoba is first-class when it comes to conserving wilderness for wildlife and people. Immense, healthy boreal forest protected areas will take the woodland caribou, Manitobans, and all Canadians another step toward a sustainable future.