1,500 scientists worldwide call for protection of boreal forest

Ottawa and Seattle – Telbec/ – In a letter released today and addressing all Canadian governments – provincial, territorial and federal – 1,500 highly respected scientists from more than 50 countries around the world call for protection of Canada’s boreal forest. The scientists identify the 1.4 billion acre Canadian Boreal Forest as one of the largest intact forest and wetland ecosystems remaining on earth.

The boreal forest is under increasing pressure from logging, mining and oil and gas operations and only 10% has been protected to date, far less than what is scientifically recognized as necessary to sustain the ecosystem over time.

“The extraordinary level of support expressed in this letter demonstrates the global ecological importance of Canada’s boreal forest and the urgent need for Canada to protect it,” said David Schindler, Killam Memorial Chair and professor of ecology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. “We are losing so many of the world’s great forests, despite the best efforts of conservationists. Canada’s boreal forest offers what may be our last, best chance to do things right, but only if our leaders act decisively and act now.”

The boreal forest is the single-largest terrestrial carbon storehouse in the world. The Canadian boreal forest alone stores 186 billion tonnes of carbon – equivalent to 27 years of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions from the consumption of fossil fuels.In the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, deforestation was identified as a significant source of green house gas emissions.

“The boreal forest stores large quantities of carbon and provides a shield against global warming and critical habitat for countless species of birds, fish and wildlife,” said Dr Terry Root, Stanford University professor and author of several reports as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “The world’s scientists urge Canada to take action now by implementing the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework.”

The scientists’ letter recommends preserving a minimum of half of Canada’s boreal forest in protected areas while allowing only carefully managed development on the rest, in accordance with the Boreal Conservation Framework, a plan already endorsed by Canadian conservation groups, 25 Canadian First Nations, and more than 75 major businesses with annual sales of $30 billion.