OTTAWA,
ON, May 16, 2024 /CNW/ - Together,
Canada and Ontario are working to protect and conserve
biodiversity, habitat, and species at risk in Ontario by expanding parks that protect
habitat for caribou, bolstering science, and investing in the
conservation and recovery of caribou.
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of
Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for
Parks Canada, and the Honourable Andrea Khanjin, Ontario Minister of the Environment,
Conservation and Parks, announced the following progress toward
caribou conservation.
Funding to help further implement the federal–provincial
Conservation Agreement:
The Government of Canada is
pleased to announce an investment of $29
million for conservation measures in Ontario. Through this commitment, Canada and Ontario have dedicated a combined total of
almost $70 million toward
Conservation Agreement implementation over five years (2022–2027).
The additional federal funding will enable Ontario to continue building on early progress
outlined in the first annual report and further advance
conservation measures.
Release of the 2022–2023 Annual Report for the
federal–provincial Conservation Agreement:
In March, Ontario released the
first annual report under the five-year Conservation Agreement
detailing progress on implementation from April 2022 to April
2023. Working together with the Government of Canada, Ontario has shown progress on all 13
conservation measures of the Agreement, most notably implementing
caribou population monitoring in priority ranges; exploring
enhanced protection; progress toward developing a science plan for
caribou in Ontario; funding of
stewardship projects; and progress on the commitment to review,
refine, and validate existing and alternative evidence-based
approaches to maintain or move toward self-sustaining Boreal
Caribou local populations.
New provincial monitoring data:
Through the Conservation Agreement, Ontario committed to develop and implement an
ongoing monitoring program for all Boreal Caribou ranges in the
province. As part of its Boreal Caribou Monitoring Program,
Ontario completed aerial surveys
in four ranges in 2023 (Kesgami, Kinloch, Brightsand, and
Churchill), and two ranges in 2024
(Berens and Sydney). Now
live, the year-one monitoring summary report outlines aerial survey
results for the ranges surveyed in 2023.
New Science Assessment Report:
An expert group of federal and provincial government scientists,
university/academia, industry/sector, and non-governmental
organizations has reviewed the scientific evidence that underpins
each of the federal and provincial Boreal Caribou management
frameworks. We thank the expert group for their valuable
contribution to this process. The publication of the Science
Assessment Report today is an important milestone in the
implementation of the federal–provincial Conservation Agreement,
specifically the commitment to review existing and alternative
evidence-based caribou conservation approaches.
In line with the Science Assessment Report
recommendations, Ontario is
working to:
- Deepen its understanding of caribou populations by conducting
more monitoring, and developing and implementing a Boreal Caribou
Knowledge Plan
- Create models and incentives to encourage knowledge sharing
through the implementation of the Knowledge Plan and the Caribou
Conservation Stewardship Program
- Identify effective management actions, for example, assessing
ways to restore caribou habitat, and also through the scheduled
10-year review of the Forest Management Guide for Boreal
Landscapes (the "Boreal Landscape Guide")
Ontario and Canada are committed to adaptive management in
caribou conservation and will continue to collaborate to review the
recommendations of the Science Assessment Report and use
them to refine implementation of the Conservation Agreement.
The expansion of provincial parks benefitting Boreal
Caribou:
Ontario is proposing to proceed
with expanding two protected areas as part of the Caribou
Conservation Agreement. If approved, these expansions would entail
the addition of up to 44,000 hectares (nearly 109,000 acres) to
existing provincial parks—equivalent to nearly half the size
of Prince Edward County. It is anticipated that the proposed
expansions will proceed for implementation as early as 2025.
Over the coming years, the Government of Canada looks forward to reviewing Ontario's progress as momentum builds on
implementing the many conservation measures in the
federal–provincial Agreement.
Quotes
"Boreal Caribou is an iconic species. The health of Boreal
Caribou herds reflects the health of the entire boreal forest. That
is why Canada and Ontario, working together, are investing in
priority species like Boreal Caribou and working toward protecting
and restoring vital habitats, factoring in the strong science
advice provided by the expert group. I look forward to continuing
our collaboration with Ontario to
collectively conserve and protect this species we hold dear for
today, and for future generations."
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of
Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks
Canada
"Ontario's commitment of nearly
$35 million over five years to
caribou conservation and recovery is the single largest investment
dedicated to caribou in Ontario's
history. We will continue to work with our partners, using
scientific advice from the recent Assessment Report, as well
as Indigenous traditional knowledge, to implement this Agreement
and take meaningful action to protect this vital species."
– The Honourable Andrea Khanjin, Ontario Minister of the Environment,
Conservation and Parks
Quick facts
- Ontario has approximately 20
percent of Canada's Boreal Caribou
range (approximately 5,000 caribou).
- In Ontario, 140 provincial
parks and conservation reserves collectively protect more than 11.2
million acres of caribou habitat—that's roughly the size of
Lake Erie and Lake Ontario combined.
- Canada and Ontario have worked cooperatively to establish
working groups with membership from Ontario and Canada, and Ontario has put in place a dedicated team to
develop engagement strategies and implementation plans to support
each conservation measure in the Conservation Agreement.
- Through the Global Biodiversity Framework, the Government of
Canada has committed to conserving
30 percent of land and water in Canada by 2030.
- Since 1937, the Woodland Caribou has featured on Canada's 25-cent
coin, with the exception of a few milestone years, such as the 2010
Olympic year and the 1967 Centennial year.
Associated links
- 2022–2023 Annual Report for the Federal–Provincial
Conservation Agreement for the Conservation of Caribou, Boreal
Population in Ontario
- Ontario Monitoring Data
- Science Assessment Report
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page
SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada