The findings of federal experts are unequivocal: the Legault government is not doing enough to protect the habitat of woodland caribou, a species that is in continuous decline in Quebec. The Canadian Minister of the Environment Steven Guilbeault will therefore recommend the issuing of a “protection decree” for deer, while saying that he wants to favor collaboration with his counterpart Benoit Charette in the file.
“I believe, taking into account the information available, that almost all of the critical habitat of caribou (boreal caribou) located on non-federal land in Quebec is not effectively protected,” wrote Steven Guilbeault in a letter. that he sent to Minister Charette and of which The duty got a copy.
In this context, the federal minister is required, under the process provided by the Species at Risk Act, to “recommend to the Governor in Council the making of a protection order” for the unprotected parts of the habitat essential. This habitat suffering from a lack of protection would represent an area of around 35,000 km2, mainly on territories coveted by the forest industry.
“Collaboration “
In his letter, Minister Guilbeault reaffirms, however, that he “favors collaboration” with the Legault government in this file, after having threatened last year to intervene to prevent the possible disappearance of the woodland caribou in Quebec. “My opinion in no way affects the discussions that are currently underway with a view to arriving at a lasting solution for the caribou. I look forward to your final conservation strategy by the end of June 2023 which, no doubt, will be science-based and will be developed in consultation with indigenous peoples,” the Federal Minister of the Environment underlines.
The Legault government plans to present its “strategy” for preventing the disappearance of woodland caribou next June. Environmental groups, experts and representatives of First Nations have been urging Quebec to act for several years, because of the declines observed in several caribou populations in the province.
Inventory after inventory, we find that the situation. New data published in January by the Legault government thus revealed that a large population of the North Shore is showing a decline which should lead it, in part, towards “extinction”. In many cases, human activity, and more specifically the forest industry, is singled out to explain the declines.
Two isolated herds, that of Val-d’Or and that of Charlevoix, even had to be sent into captivity to avoid their disappearance. In the case of the last caribou in Gaspésie, a project to enclose pregnant females could be carried out this winter.
Known habitat
Director General of the Society for Nature and Parks of Quebec, Alain Branchaud sees favorably the intention of the federal government, which is part of the normal process of legislation that protects species at risk. “We cannot go back on caribou protection. Minister Guilbeault has crossed a red line and can no longer back down. From now on, either Quebec moves forward and puts the measures in place, or it will have a decree imposed under the Species at Risk Act, ”he argued on Monday.
He believes that the Legault government has the opportunity, with the protection of caribou habitat, to increase the area of protected areas in Quebec, with a view to the objective of protecting 30% of natural land environments by 2030. “But with a view to just transition, this must be done taking into account the potential impacts on communities and workers,” insisted Mr. Branchaud.
The regions considered to be part of the “critical habitat” of the species have already been identified. This is the case for sectors considered to be priorities for the species, including that of “Grasset”, located in the Nord-du-Québec region, north and west of Matagami. The same goes for the “Manouane-Plétipi-Manicouagan” sector, with an area of 16,191 km2, which is located on the North Shore, and for the “Romaine” sector, with an area of 13,968 km2, also located on the North Shore, east of the Romaine River.
Added to this are at least fifteen areas identified as essential habitats for the species. The duty had already revealed that several of these were neglected by the Legault government during the establishment of “protected areas” which made it possible to reach the target of protection of 17% of the territory of Quebec, in 2020 .
This is the case of the Pipmuacan sector, located northeast of Lac Saint-Jean, and whose protection is demanded by the Innu. The caribou population there is “in an extremely precarious state” and “its capacity for self-sufficiency is unlikely under current conditions”, according to an inventory by experts from the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.
More details to come.