Canadian forest deal at risk

Pact to preserve a large swath of wilderness is dislike from industry and resistance by native groups.

For conservationists, the pledge seems almost too good to be true - and some worry that it is. The Canadian boreal forest agreement, an agreement between the forestry and environmental groups, aims, aside nearly 30 million acres of northern wilderness and topic more 42 million strict tree harvesting standards set.

A year after it was introduced, a landmark is agreement on the protection of forests in Canada does not have the Berg.J. E. MARRIOTT / ALL CANADA PHOTOS/CORBIS

In May 2010 (nature see 465, 279; 2010), it would be the single largest forest protection deal at all, and was by the participants as a model of cooperation represented was. At a press conference, sponsored by the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC on 9 March, Avrim Lazar praised, President of the forest products Association of Canada in Ottawa, former antagonists for "working on together, as you throw away the needs of humanity without the UmgebungUnser own nest".

But the close to the negotiations say that the agreement can his bold vision. With timber company reluctant to give detailed log remain questions over how much forest are actually retained rights and environmentalists adamant that far-reaching protective measures must be enforced. In the meantime Canadian groups threaten the Aboriginal, who have been left out of the deal-making process, for it to fail.

"There are differences in expectations, which are agreed," says Lorne Johnson, co-Chair of the Secretariat of the Canadian boreal forest agreement in Ottawa, the body with implementation of the plan commissioned.

According to the agreement discuss ways to protect of large sections of the Canada's Northern Forest 21 forestry companies and environmental groups 9 - a large warehouse of carbon and crucial Habitat for the threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) - without timber and pulp production. The company, that the rights to log around a quarter of Canada's boreal forest keep have agreed to discuss in some areas not abandoning them. on the other hand the environmental groups have stopped pushing buyers of the companies to boycott products. The parties have left marks far a year significant progress to two decision.

Try working groups of the company in the first track officials and environmentalists in seven provinces, caribou habitat from logging to remove plans identified. Then, the negotiators of the aborigines and the provincial Government will have lobby, which make jurisdiction over the regions, to national or provincial parks. "We expect, conservation plan draft prepared and the provincial governments nation show first in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta probably until June have", says Johnson.

In the other lane, a three man Panel of forestry developed new harvest Auditors standards for the rest of the country. These standards, including better imitation of the natural cycles of forest regeneration by fire and insects, the wood would be produced make it "the most environmentally preferable" in the world, said Steven Kallick, Director of the international boreal conservation campaign of the Pew Environment Group in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, at the Washington briefing.

But disagreements have plagued both tracks. Richard Brooks, forests campaign coordinator for Greenpeace Canada in Toronto, who spoke at the Washington meeting, said that the agreement "means" to up from 20 million acres caribou habitat need to be preserved. Francois Dumoulin, forestry Director of AbitibiBowater in Montreal, one of Canada's largest wood products and an industry participant in the agreement rejects this interpretation but. He says "We never agreed,". "What we do is agreed, the protected areas in the caribou range increase in ways that will disrupt the work of our mills not." Dumoulin says that it is too early to predict how much land is set aside, "but it obviously not close to the total 29 million hectares of caribou habitat".

The original Treaty requires "the principles of ecosystem-based management", an approach which takes into account human needs also environmental concerns. This would include the needs of Aboriginal communities and others who are economically tied to the forest, such as trappers and tourist boards. But some forestry companies against this approach, say that it violates their flexibility, and whether people in the agreement to include standards no decision has been taken. Brooks says that the final plan must respect "all aspects including human" ecosystem-based management. "If not, the agreement will be unsuccessful," he says.

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Aboriginal groups are unhappy that they were involved in the dialogue. In December, a special Assembly of first nation chiefs voted "reject and call for the termination" of the agreement, signaling a major obstacle to the business in parts of the boreal forest for the Aboriginal communities are responsible. Russell Collier, that for the Convention secretariat works, says that it was a mistake, the first to leave the Nations of the talks, but adds to that "an overlap of the targets" could bring more native communities on board.

Others hope that the plan will survive, albeit in a reduced form. "This is a framework on the way to an agreement," says Todd Paglia, head of ForestEthics in San Francisco, California, another participating group. "What this objective as ends is still in the air."

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