The Innus of Essipit and Pessamit deplore the Legault government’s lack of attention to the protection of woodland caribou, a species that is in steep decline due to the destruction of its habitat. They believe that Quebec should have taken advantage of the UN conference on biodiversity (COP15) to confirm the creation of a protected area proposed in 2020 by the Innu and intended to preserve an important sector for deer.
In the halls of the Palais des congrès, we do not see photos of woodland caribou. On the panels of “Place Québec”, where various conferences and announcements are held during COP15, species that are doing relatively well in Québec are instead presented: the black bear, the northern gannet, the moose and the whale. humpback.
However, since the beginning of the conference, the case of the caribou has been repeatedly discussed by environmental groups, scientists and First Nations representatives. And for good reason. The species is considered an important environmental indicator for judging forest health. Its decline therefore bears witness to the degradation of these essential ecosystems for several species, but also to fight against the climate crisis.
Culture
For the Innu, the caribou is also a major element of their culture and identity. The First Nations of Essipit and Pessamit therefore hoped that the Legault government would take advantage of the COP15 forum to announce the creation of the Pipmuacan protected area.
Presented in 2020 by the Innus with the aim of protecting an increasingly threatened caribou herd, the project would cover an area of 2,761 km2. It aims to protect the last intact forest massifs in a sector located approximately 150 kilometers northeast of the city of Saguenay.
However, it was rejected by the Legault government when announcing the territory protection measures to achieve the conservation target of 17% of Quebec’s natural land environments before the end of 2020. The forest industry is very present in this region, which degrades the deer habitat.
The most recent inventories carried out by experts from the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, and published in September 2020, have also shown that the situation is, to say the least, critical for the species in this region.
The aerial inventory carried out over 28,000 km2 made it possible to assess the population at only 225 animals. “Certain sectors have almost no more caribou, contrary to what was observed in 2012”, can we read in the report of the ministry, which specifies that “the disturbances of the habitat” are too important, but also that “ the population is in an extremely precarious state and that its capacity for self-sufficiency is unlikely under current conditions”.
In its report published last August, the Independent Commission on Woodland Caribou set up by the Legault government not only recognized that the situation of caribou in the sector is “worrying”, but it recommended the creation of the Pipmuacan protected area.
Biodiversity symbol
In this context, the Vice-Chief of the Innu Council of Pessamit, Jérôme Bacon St-Onge, deplores the absence of any concrete announcement from the CAQ government. “We have a project skilfully developed and endorsed by the Independent Commission on Woodland Caribou that fits perfectly with several government commitments: an Aboriginal initiative protected area in the south of the province, which aims to preserve the woodland caribou, a species highly endangered, then a key symbol of our culture and biodiversity in Quebec, ”he argued on Tuesday.
“If the government of Quebec had a real intention of supporting Aboriginal leadership in conservation, why not announce the protection of the Pipmuakan project? “, he questioned.
“Unnecessarily delaying concrete actions to protect and restore the habitat of the species only further distances us from the objective” of protecting the territory of Pipmuacan, added Michael Ross, director of development and territory at the Council of the Essipit Innu First Nation.
In their public outing on Tuesday, the Innu warned that in the absence of concrete action for the caribou, “our assessment of Quebec at COP15 will result in failure”.
Strategy in 2023
Arrested on Tuesday by The dutythe office of Environment Minister Benoit Charette has indicated that it is analyzing the case of this protected area project.
“The government is currently studying different scenarios as part of the caribou strategy. The Pipmuacan is at the heart of critical caribou habitat and is an integral part of many of these scenarios. Indigenous communities will be contacted over the next few months to improve the caribou recovery scenario, ”we explained by email.
The Legault government has promised to present a rescue “strategy” by June 2023 for the woodland caribou, which is showing marked declines in different regions. 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.
In the absence of measures to avoid the disappearance of the species in Quebec, the federal government had threatened to impose a decree to protect the last remaining forests to ensure the survival of the caribou.