Features Environment & Sustainability Forestry
FPAC debuts website campaign to share facts on caribou

Sep. 7, 2017 – Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) has launched a new website – cariboufacts.ca – to share facts with Canadians about caribou herds and to urge the federal government to build caribou plans that address factors that are impacting caribou populations across the country.

FPAC also wants to ensure that the government’s plans don’t unnecessarily put rural and northern jobs at risk.

“We can all agree that we want caribou populations to be around for generations to come.  We are urging the federal government to ensure that it’s doing right by caribou and right by forest workers in communities across Canada by building caribou plans that are based on sound science.  This will help us  achieve a balanced and sustainable way forward for all,” said FPAC CEO Derek Nighbor. “We believe that if the current process is not carried out appropriately, it will jeopardize thousands of jobs in rural and northern Canada and the well-being of hundreds of communities — while not reaching the important caribou recovery goals that we all want to achieve. It is important that land-use decisions are based on the most up-to-date research and sound science and we want to ensure all Canadians, including Members of Parliament, have access to the facts on caribou.”

Cariboufacts.ca includes information on how the warming climate is changing forest conditions, which leads to changes in the caribou’s food supply and regional predator-prey relationships. In addition to fire and human disturbance, it is important the government consider all factors when developing its plans. “From British Columbia to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada is a diverse country with significant regional differences in forest ecosystems. It is critical that the federal government incorporate these unique regional differences in plans to support caribou,” noted FPAC in a statement.

The website provides a direct link for Canadian visitors to write a letter to their Member of Parliament, encouraging them to develop caribou plans that are based on sound science and to commit to study the socio-economic impacts on rural and northern communities before making any final decisions. FPAC says the website is part of a broader campaign to encourage the federal government to make sure it’s taking the right approach to supporting caribou populations.

“We believe in a collaborative approach to supporting caribou populations and we’re asking Canadians to send a clear message to Ottawa — let’s develop caribou plans that will balance important environmental goals with economic ones,” said Nighbor. “It’s critical that the federal government take the time to get this right the first time. The future of caribou and our nearly 1 million workers who depend on forestry in our rural and northern forest communities depend on it.”