| [back to articles] |
Print Article  E-Mail to a Friend 
|
|
Category: Environment (41 articles) Click here to see more in this category...
Canada lags in protecting wilderness, report says Jul 12, 2011 Canada lags in protecting wilderness, report says By Amy Chung, Postmedia News June 30, 2011 Canada has 8.5 per cent of its land and fresh water allocated as permanently protected areas, falling behind the global average of 13 per cent. A new report shows that Canada falls behind when it comes to protecting its wilderness. Canada currently has 8.5 per cent, or 84.5 million hectares, of its land and freshwater allocated as permanently protected areas, while the global average sits at 13 per cent. The report by Global Forest Watch Canada, entitled Canada's Terrestrial Protected Areas Status Report 2010: Number, Area and Naturalness, highlights the country's need to protect more area. Co-author Ryan Cheng, says Canada has 3.7 per cent, or 37.5 million hectares of the land under interim protection which may or may not be permanent after a certain time. "If the government made these interim areas permanent, it would increase our total average of protected land to 12 per cent," said Cheng, who took one year to write the report. He hopes this report will make data for protected areas more accessible for nongovernmental agencies and to encourage federal and provincial governments to increase protected land. His report said that Ontario has made significant progress, promising to protect at least half of the northern boreal forest. Quebec has also promised to set aside at least half of the northern part of the province from industrial development to protect the environment and safeguard biodiversity. Most recently, Nova Scotia committed to raise its protected area systems from 8.6 per cent to 12 per cent, which equates to 200,000 hectares of newly protected area. "We know that the primary reason that biodiversity continues to decline so badly is habitat loss, so protecting much more land from industrial development is key to conservation," said Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society national conservation director Alison Woodley. Cheng explains there are several herds of woodland caribou near Alberta's oilsands that have seen their habitat diminish due to development. Cheng noted that Alberta and New Brunswick had the weakest averages, showing minimal signs of progress. According to New Brunswick's ministry of natural resources, they plan doubling this average to eight per cent this year. "Protected natural areas in New Brunswick are part of 30 per cent of Crown land that is managed for conservation purposes and is managed primarily for wildlife and habitat protection. This represents 15 per cent of all the land mass in our province," said ministry spokesperson, Anne Bull Monteith in an e-mail. She adds that government parks and private land have been set aside for wildlife and habitat protection by groups such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited. In 2010, Canada committed to protect 17 per cent of the world's lands and inland waters by 2020 under the International Convention on Biological Diversity.
[back to articles] |