Media Centre

Press Releases

2003

Canada's boreal forest found to be critical to North American bird life

May 5, 2003

A new report jointly released in Canada and the United States today documents for the first time that one in every three of North America's land birds is born in Canada's boreal forest.

"Released to mark International Migratory Bird Day on May 10, this report represents an important new step in understanding the immense global significance of Canada's boreal forest ecosystem," said Cathy Wilkinson, director of the Ottawa-based Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI). The newly formed CBI and the U.S.-based Boreal Songbird Initiative (BSI) jointly commissioned the report. Both are projects developed with leading conservation organizations to promote better scientific understanding, conservation and management of Canada's vast boreal forest ecosystems.

The report, entitled "Importance of Canada's Boreal Forest to Landbirds", shows that for several species including the Palm Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Black-backed Woodpecker, Connecticut Warbler, and Northern Shrike, over 90 per cent of their global population breed in the Canadian boreal forest -. For nearly 40 bird species over half of the world populations nest in the region

Canada's boreal forest covers more than one billion acres across nearly every province and territory. The boreal forest in Canada and Russia together with Brazil's Amazon contain all that remains of the huge forest ecosystems that once covered nearly every continent.

Report author Dr. Peter Blancher of Bird Studies Canada, an expert on North American land bird conservation, found that several boreal-breeding bird populations are in sharp decline, including Connecticut Warblers, Rusty Blackbirds and Canada Warblers. The reasons for the decline are not yet fully understood. "We assumed that Canada's boreal ecosystem was important to North America's birds, but we didn't know until now that it was the breeding ground for so many," stated Dr. Blancher. Almost 200 landbird species breed in the boreal forest and wetlands every summer. By fall, as many as five billion of North America's birds -- including warblers, sparrows, swifts, finches, hawks and falcons - migrate south from the region for the winter.

Over 40 percent of North American waterfowl also use the boreal forest of Canada and Alaska, and for 35 species of waterbirds, the boreal region forms more than half of their breeding grounds. "That means the future of much-loved birds like the Common Loon depend on the choices we make today to conserve boreal lakes and woodlands," says Wilkinson.

"As the 70 million U.S. bird watchers enjoy the spring migration this year, this report will help them see how very crucial Canada's boreal region is for the diversity and abundance of bird life in our two countries," stated BSI director Marilyn Heiman of Seattle, WA.

"Land-use planning decisions made over the next five to seven years in virtually every province and territory will affect large stretches of the boreal forest ecosystem - the largest intact forest left on earth. This is our chance to plan intelligently, so that nature and development can remain in balance for generations to come" added Wilkinson.

-30-

For more information:
Don Huff @ 416-972-7404