In 2007, more than 1,500 research scientists from more than 50 countries, including 71 from Quebec, signed a letter to Canadian government leaders seeking the conservation of the Boreal forest protection through land-use planning prior to industrial development, and in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.
This letter also asked governments to support the implementation of the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework drafted and signed by the Canadian Boreal Initiative, Canadian conservation organizations, First Nations and industry partners.
Since then, two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec, have announced plans for the Boreal forest that include the essential notion of the agreement - stated simply, 50-50 zoning of the region (protection of at least 50% of the region, with sustainable industrial activity in the other half).
We believe that these commitments merit a letter to the government supporting these announcements, while also reiterating our vision that any development must be truly sustainable, based on scientific conservation principles and a sound data acquisition system.
To this end, we have drafted the attached letter. Please read it carefully and add your signature if you agree with its contents. We invite you to circulate this letter to your colleagues, who may sign here: http://interboreal.org/scientifiquesQC/index.php?lng=eng
Sincerely yours,
Marcel Darveau, Ph.D., Ducks Unlimited Canada and Laval University
Nigel Roulet, Ph.D., McGill University
Jeff Wells, Ph.D., International Boreal Conservation Campaign
When I checked the list yesterday about 1:00pm, there were 420 signatures on the letter. If you haven't already done so, please add yours.
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