The environmental organization Action boréale says it is disappointed by the inertia of Quebec in the absence of a strategy to protect the woodland caribou.
The issue of caribou habitat protection that must go through a dry stop to logging had recently caused a controversy over jurisdiction between Quebec and Ottawa.
The caribou population in Val-d’Or continues to dwindle, while of the 50 animals counted in 1984, there are only nine left, according to Action boréale who questioned Premier François Legault on Monday. in an open letter.
“The first condition for ensuring the maintenance of woodland caribou is to guarantee them holy peace, that is to say, to leave their territory in the wild and to close the access roads,” wrote Action. boreal in his open letter.
In the case of Val-d’Or, the organization considers a protection perimeter of 40 x 50 km necessary, which would cover 5% of the forest area of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and accuses the government of procrastinating in ensuring this “minimum protection”.
Action boréale accuses the forest industry, whose activity risks leading to the extinction of this emblematic species that has been grazing for 10,000 years, while the enclosure of caribou is not a viable solution.
“When the forestry industry decides that the forest-dwelling caribou in Quebec may well disappear if it harms its interests, the government takes note,” denounced the president and vice-president of the organization, Henri Jacob and Richard Desjardins.
The independent commission set up by the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Pierre Dufour, is a way of gaining time for the government, while waiting for the general elections next October.
“The commission collects opinions and briefs, but, in a slightly less transparent way, it organizes private meetings with major corporate players whose testimonies will remain secret, despite the public funding of the operation,” lamented the organization.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com