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Questions and Answers
South Nahanni Watershed
August 8, 2007
South Nahanni : A Jewel in the Boreal Forest Crown
The Nahanni National Park
The Nahanni National Park Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site protect a portion
of one of Canada's most spectacular boreal wilderness areas and spiritual sites for local
First Nations -- the South Nahanni watershed. The Nahanni National Park Reserve became the first site in the world to be officiallygranted World Heritage status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The South Nahanni Watershed falls within the traditional territories of two Dene First
Nations. The Dehcho First Nations' traditional territory encompasses 80 percent of the
watershed, while the upper 20 per cent lies in the traditional territory of the Sahtu.
The watershed is of cultural and traditional importance, and the Dehcho First Nations,
Sahtu Dene and Metis have expressed a strong desire to protect the entire watershed of
the South Nahanni River to protect the land and its people for all time.
Canada's north is besieged today by pressures to develop its energy and mineral
resources, such as the Mackenzie Valley pipeline, which means conservation planning
in the Northwest Territories is urgently needed.
Boreal Forest Under Threat
What are the threats facing the Boreal Forest?
The Boreal Forest is facing corporate development pressures from mining, oil and gas and timber interests. In some regions forest is being lost at rates similar to those in tropical rainforests.
Currently, Canada's Boreal region is experiencing an historic increase in mineral exploration and development. Massive open pit mining for uranium, diamonds, gold and other minerals is planned throughout the sensitive ecosystem of the Boreal Forest.
Canada is America's largest foreign source of oil and gas. Northern Alberta's booming tar sands hold the world's largest proven oil reserve outside of Saudi Arabia, but are also among the dirtiest oil extraction processes on Earth producing three times as much greenhouse gas as conventional oil production. An area the size of Florida is slated for tar sands development.
Canadian Boreal Conservation Framework
What is the Canadian Boreal Forest Conservation Framework?
The Boreal Framework is a vision for protecting the long-term health and viability of the Boreal Forest and its wildlife. It is based on science and seeks balance between competing uses, guided by local knowledge. It calls for permanent protection as parks and wildlife reserves of at least 50 per cent of the Canadian Boreal and application of strictly protective management standards in any other areas where development will occur.
Why was the Framework developed?
The Boreal Framework was developed by a balanced group of interested parties, advised by scientists, to help create a shared vision across all sectors of Canadian society. The Boreal Framework calls for conservation-based land use planning in advance of development, to reverse the typical pattern of development, prioritizing short term profits, that damages or destroys ecosystems. Only by doing conservation planning first and setting aside enough wilderness can we preserve this irreplaceable global resource now and into the future.
Who supports the Framework?
Many leading resource development companies, aboriginal First Nations and conservation groups have endorsed and committed themselves to the principles of the Boreal Framework. For example, more than two dozen of Canada's aboriginal First Nations have endorsed the Boreal Framework, which is important because they are the traditional owners and residents of the Canadian Boreal Forest. Also, major timber companies like Domtar and Tembec and energy giant Suncor have endorsed the Boreal Framework and are actively advancing it as members of the Boreal Leadership Council. All in all, there are dozens of companies and organizations in Canada and the US (75 major businesses with annual sales of over $30 billion) that endorse the Framework and support its goals.
Why is the conservation of the Boreal Forest so important?
Canada's 1.4 billion acre Boreal Forest is considered by conservationists to be one of the earth's last healthy and intact forest and fresh water ecosystems left on the planet, with some of the globe's largest populations of wolves, grizzly bears, woodland caribou and abundant fish life. The Boreal Forest also serves as the nesting grounds for billions of America's songbirds and waterfowl, most of which migrate south to become the familiar birds of backyards, parks, forests, and wetlands across the Americas. Finally, as the largest terrestrial carbon storehouse on earth, it is a critical global warming shield for our planet if properly cared for. According to economists, it performs a minimum of $93.2 billion worth of naturally-occurring ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water filtration -that's two-and-a-half times more than the resource extraction potential of the region, estimated at $37.8 billion.
Why have 1,500 internationally respected PhD scientists recommended that at least half of Canada's Boreal Forest be protected?
Currently, more than two-thirds of Canada's Boreal Forest is still unspoiled wilderness. The relatively intact state of Canada's Boreal provides one of the world's last chances to protect an entire healthy ecosystem in advance of major development. Biologists believe that in order to maintain a representative sampling of the region's ecosystems; native species in their natural abundance and distribution; functional ecosystems services such hydrological processes, and resilience to short and long term change, far more of Canada's Boreal needs to be protected than is currently planned. Reviews of previous conservation planning initiatives indicate that protected areas should cover at least half of the landscape to achieve the objectives listed above.
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