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Natural Boreal Forest habitat shrinking Environmental plan for copper mine worries Yukon First Nation chief Natural Boreal Forest habitat shrinking A business-as-usual approach to development in the Mackenzie Basin watershed may profoundly alter the region’s forest landscapes and risk regional extinction of woodland caribou and sharp declines in bird populations. But, if conservation is increased as recommended by the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, a study released January 30th finds the potential to protect wildlife in most regions while still allowing for economic growth from resource development. The study, Seeking a Balance, evaluated the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta where extensive industrial development is already scheduled, compared with the relatively undeveloped Dehcho territory of the southern Northwest Territories. The study was released by the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) in conjunction with researchers from the University of Alberta and Forem Technologies Computer simulations concluded that growing industrial disturbance will fragment intact areas of older forest if development continues according to present plans. These changes would eliminate woodland caribou populations in the region and would reduce the abundance of songbirds, such as a predicted 60% decline in the black-throated green warbler population. “This study demonstrates the profound impacts of industrial development in the Mackenzie Basin ecosystem,” said Larry Innes, Executive Director of CBI. “It is increasingly important to plan and strike a balance with conservation efforts before development takes place.” Proposed conservation strategies modeled in the Alberta study area predicted substantially reduced declines in songbird populations by limiting the amount of old forest logged and the size of industrial disturbance. However, doubling protected areas from 3 to 6% of the studied region did not reverse declines in woodland caribou populations under the model. This research demonstrates that strategies for conservation within the oil sands region need to set more ambitious goals for increasing the protected area networks across northeastern Alberta. The report also models the impacts of implementing the proposed Dehcho Land Use Plan, which prescribes protection for approximately half of the Dehcho region and sustainable management over the remaining landscape. This scenario provided the researchers with a “conservation first” simulation for the southern NWT. The simulation predicted that woodland caribou declines could be avoided and songbird declines reduced. This finding confirms the importance of work by the federal, territorial, and First Nations governments to establish a system of protected areas in advance of proposed large scale development such as the Mackenzie gas pipeline. Last November, the governments announced plans to protect over 10 million hectares in three regions of the NWT, one of the largest conservation set asides in North American history. “Partnership between governments, First Nations, conservation groups, industry and science is necessary to ensure that future generations can enjoy Canada’s Boreal Forest,” added Innes. This is the first time the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework has been tested through applied modeling to a large region of Canada’s Boreal Forest. The Boreal Framework recommends that at least half of Canada’s Boreal Forest be set aside in large protected areas with cutting edge sustainable development in the remainder of the landscape. Currently, 10% of Canada’s Boreal Forest is protected. The Framework is supported by over 1,500 scientists and a diverse coalition of conservation, First Nations, and industry groups. Environmental plan for copper mine worries Yukon First Nation chief The proposal for a new copper mine near Carmacks, Yukon, lacks certainty when it comes to environmental safeguards, says Chief Eddie Skookum of the Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation. He argues it’s potentially disastrous to allow the Western Copper Corp. to proceed without nailing down a precise method to ensure its heap leach system does not fail. Should the system fail, resulting in the release of sulphuric acid into the Yukon River watershed, the river's rich salmon bounty could be irreversibly threatened, Skookum said January 17. “Our worry is the heap leach system has really not been tested in the Yukon,” the chief said. “And it is close to the river system. If there is ever a leak and that powerful stuff is leaked into the river system, who will be affected? It will be everyone who consumes salmon, and not just the First Nations.” Skookum said he wants to meet with the chiefs of the other First Nations along the Yukon River system to share his concerns and gather their opinions. The chief emphasized his First Nation is not opposed to mining as long as everything is done right. The Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation has already been saddled with the toxic mess left behind at Mount Nansen by BYG Natural Resources, the company that abandoned the mine after a couple of years of profit. Canadian taxpayers are now paying in excess of $1 million a year to maintain water treatment and look after the property. The 230-page screening report and recommendations on the Carmacks Copper proposal were released last month for public comment. |
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