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(OTTAWA | TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE ALGONQUIN ANISHNAABEG PEOPLE, JANUARY 18, 2024) – In a first-of-its-kind joint report launched right this moment, main North American environmental organizations have challenged the Canadian federal authorities’s annual account of the nation’s forestry sector that understates the impacts of commercial logging.
The brand new report, The State of the Forest in Canada: Seeing By means of the Spin, reveals that Pure Sources Canada (NRCan)’s annual report downplays or ignores the numerous impacts of commercial logging on biodiversity, the local weather, forest integrity, and ecosystem companies, and its potential infringements of Indigenous rights.
The organizations spotlight obvious omissions within the authorities’s annual report, together with its lack of consideration to the cumulative impression of commercial logging on remaining major and old- progress forests, failures in forest regeneration attributable to logging infrastructure, inhabitants declines of key forest-dependent species similar to threatened boreal caribou and the endangered noticed owl, and the dearth of clear accounting logging’s emissions footprint. This new report additionally, in contrast to the federal government’s publication, exposes examples of the place there may be misalignment between industrial logging practices and Indigenous rights.
In analyzing all of those indicators, the report reveals that the precise state of the forests in Canada is way extra complicated and worrisome, and the logging trade far much less sustainable, than the federal authorities claims. Industrial logging is driving important forest degradation all through the nation, with alarming impacts on species and the local weather, and plenty of Indigenous communities are nonetheless not assured a say over their lands.
“We’re seeing a conversion of wholesome forest ecosystems to, on the panorama degree, youthful managed forests, fragmented by roads,” mentioned Rachel Plotkin of the David Suzuki Basis. “The cumulative impression of logging 12 months after 12 months is altering the face of our forests, and our authorities refuses to acknowledge it.”
“The federal authorities is risking the well-being of future generations by failing to precisely report on the degradation of forests in Canada. How can we defend biodiversity, mitigate local weather change, and guarantee the way forward for forest-dependent communities with out correct data?” requested Michael Polanyi, Coverage and Marketing campaign Supervisor, at Nature Canada.
The report comes shortly after the annual worldwide local weather convention, the place Canada reaffirmed the necessity to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 and dedicated to synergistic motion to handle the local weather and biodiversity crises. Canada additionally simply celebrated the one-year anniversary of its management on establishing the Kunming-Montreal International Biodiversity Framework.
“This report pulls into sharp aid the distinction between Canada’s statements internationally and its ambition domestically,” mentioned Jennifer Skene of NRDC (Pure Sources Protection Council). “The phrases and requirements it presents to the world it then hollowly pursues with spin and omission.”
To enhance the credibility and relevance of the federal government’s annual publication, The State of Forests in Canada recommends that the federal government transparently and comprehensively report on industrial logging’s impression. This consists of data on the trade’s cumulative results; charges of degradation, together with logging in major and old-growth forests, carbon emissions attributable to the sector; regeneration failures; and the governments’ efficiency on respecting Indigenous rights.
“We name on Canada to satisfy the second and supply the knowledge essential to choice making that ensures the safety of forests and the rights of Indigenous peoples, now and for future generations,” mentioned Katie Krelove of the Wilderness Committee.
“We rely on forests for a lot–to battle the local weather and biodiversity crises and as an financial pillar for a lot of northern communities. It’s important that we have now clear reporting concerning the state that our forests are in right this moment with a purpose to make sound selections for tomorrow. We’re calling on the federal authorities to satisfy this problem and never draw back from letting folks throughout Canada know the place forest administration is failing us, along with success tales,” famous Dr. Julee Boan from NRDC (Pure Sources Protection Council).
“The fact is that present forestry practices in Canada have degraded forests making them weak to bigger and extra intense fires, as an alternative of leveraging their skill to behave as carbon sinks,” mentioned Richard Robertson, Forest Campaigner at Stand.earth. “Canadians simply lived by a devastating forest hearth season and 2024 is predicted to be even worse. It’s time for the federal authorities to understand that business-as-usual forestry shouldn’t be a repair for the deepening local weather disaster.”
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Kate Kourtsidis, Communications Specialist, David Suzuki Basis
kkourtsidis@davidsuzuki.org, 613-806-8184 (EST)
Kathryn Semogas, Canada Communications Specialist, Stand.earth
kathryn.semogas@stand.earth, 778-653-2303 (EST)
Margie Kelly, Senior Strategic Communications Supervisor, NRDC (Pure Sources Protection Council)
mkelly@nrdc.org, 312-651-7935 (CST)
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