Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has recommended the adoption of emergency legislation to protect Quebec’s caribou, as some of the province’s herds are “on the brink of extinction.”
Cattle herds in the forested areas of Pipoumhacan, Val d’Or and Charlevoix may soon be subject to federally imposed protection measures.
In a letter to Quebec Environment Minister Benoît Charette, Guilbeault wrote that he intends to recommend federal intervention to cabinet this week.
The Val-d’Or and Charlevoix herds, which currently have about 10 breeding females each, could also become endangered within the next decade, Guilbaut said.
The minister announced these findings based on an analysis carried out by his ministry over the past year, following a request from parts of the indigenous community.
In his letter to Charette, Guilbeault singled out forestry, saying logging and multi-use road networks are among the activities that have “contributed most to habitat disturbance” to date.
“State government is too slow,” environmental groups say
Emergency orders are set out in section 80 of the Endangered Species Act (SARA), which requires the Minister to make recommendations if he is satisfied that a species is facing an imminent threat to its survival or recovery. Once they come into force, they will remain in force for five years.
The federal government has a “legal obligation” to protect the herd, said Alice-Anne Simard, executive director of the conservation group Nature Quebec.
“The environment and biodiversity are a shared responsibility,” she said.
“(Caribou) are at risk of extinction and the federal government must act because the provincial government has acted too slowly.”
During April, The Quebec government announced a $59.5 million plan. Increased protection for a 96-square-kilometre area in Mont-Valière-de-Saint-Real to protect Charlevoix’s northern caribou and Gaspésie Mountain caribou.
Simard said the state has taken some good steps, but “it still doesn’t go far enough to really protect these herds.”
“These are impressive numbers, but the real action needed is to protect the habitat, especially from industrial logging which state governments are reluctant to do,” Simard said.
“That’s why the federal government is stepping up.”
In the case of caribou, any activity that disturbs their habitat could be affected by this act.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has set a maximum disturbance rate of 35 percent to ensure forest caribou populations remain viable in their habitat, and that rate is currently 92 percent in Charlevoix, Radio-Canada reported.
Guilbeault said he could not guarantee the ordinance would be adopted.
If his recommendation is approved by Cabinet this week, the legislation would need approval from the Governor General for final adoption, after which it would likely come into force in the autumn.
