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The Boreal Forest at Risk: A Progress Report

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Conclusion and Recommendations

Some progress has been made to promote conservation of the boreal forest region since the Senate report was tabled in 1999. Governments have made efforts to extend the range of parks and protected areas in the boreal region, and to improve data collection. The forestry industry has moved forward on promoting certification of sustainable forestry practices.

However, overall governments have made little progress in meeting many of the Subcommittee's recommendations. Of most serious concern is that governments have taken little action in response to the Senate Subcommittee's main recommendation of creating a land-use planning process that would set the conservation of natural ecosystems as the priority in 80% of the boreal region. It is also a strong concern that governments little progress has been made addressing the committee's recommendations related to aboriginal peoples Aboriginal peoples.

While it is not too late to move on the Senate report's recommendations, the fate of Canada's boreal region will be determined by default if governments do not act now. In the absence of coordinated conservation planning, development discussions taking place now in virtually every province and territory will largely determine the fate of the boreal region over the next three to five years.

Governments should take a much more proactive role in developing land-use planning goals before granting further development permits on a piece-meal basis by working in cooperation with their counterparts, and with other major boreal stakeholders including First Nations, conservation groups, industry and local communities.

As immediate steps, the federal, provincial and territorial governments should:

1. Adopt and implement large-scale land use planning for Canada's boreal region that establishes clear goals for conservation of wildlife, vegetation and fresh water, as well as standards for sustainable development.
2. Complete the network of protected areas and national parks across the country and stop issuing development permits in areas slated for protection.
3. Strengthen the involvement of First Nations in land use planning and forest management that respect their long-term relationship with the land as well as treaties and rights guaranteed to them under the Canadian Constitution.
4. Increase data collection and monitoring of wildlife species and natural attributes of the boreal region including land, vegetation and water using consistent standards, and make all data readily available to the public.

These actions will make a significant contribution to ensuring the long-term ecological integrity of this unique global resource.

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