Can Quebec's dwindling caribou herds be saved? Environmental groups nix options under study

How much areQuebecerswilling to pay to save the province's caribou?

That's the question being asked by the province's independent commission on woodland and mountain caribou.

The commission willlaunch a series of regional public hearings this springto gather participants' opinions on two theoretical scenarios to protectthe species.

Of the two proposedscenarios, one would do little to protect a quarter of Quebec'scaribou habitats and would have minimal impact on logging. The other involves putting in place more measures to protect cariboubut would cost the province millions of dollars and eliminate hundreds of jobs in the forest industry.

The commission's mandate is not to analyze the causes of thedecline in caribou numbers, said NancyGlinas, dean ofthe facultyofforestry, geographyand geomatics atUniversit Laval, who is chairing the commission.

"We will not become caribou experts," she said.

Instead, Glinassaidthe objective is to make recommendations that will both "protect caribou habitats and limit thesocio-economic impacts of this protection."

2 hypothetical scenarios

On Thursday, representatives of Quebec's Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks presented thetwo scenarios it had developed as part of the work of the commission.

The first case, more favourable to caribou populations in Quebec, is based on an update to thework started in 2019.It would necessitate spendingtens of millions of dollars to rehabilitate some caribou habitats that have been severely damaged by human disturbance,notably by the presence of logging roads and logging operations.

There would also have to be spending on management and protection measures for the caribou.

Depriving the forestry industry of those habitats would translate into a loss ofa little more than 900,000 cubic metres of wood per year, according to the documents presented Thursday. That would mean a loss of about 841 jobs in the forestry industry, which directly employs some 60,000 Quebecers.

The second scenario proposes concentratingcaribou protection efforts in areas wherethe chances of success are highest.

That would amount to wiping out three struggling herds of woodland caribou, namely those in the regions ofVal-d'Or,CharlevoixandPipmuacan, andinSaguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, as well as the caribou population inPribonka.

Under this scenario, which would have no impact on the forestry industry, Quebec would eliminate habitat restoration areas and would abolish all corridors connecting the habitats where caribou can thrive.Except for the Gasp region, noterritory south of Amos, in theAbitibi-Tmiscamingueregion, would be protected.

Neitherscenario acceptable, say environmental groups

The commission's documents have already been criticized by environmental groups, whichare calling for immediate action to save the caribou herds.

The executive director of Nature Qubec, Alice-Anne Simard, saidthere should not be any scenario that "will lead to the extinction" ofa quarter of the caribou habitats in the province and that will eliminate all connecting corridors between those habitats.

She said the firstscenario is the only one that should be considered, and even that needs improvement.

"The first scenario is already a compromise between the needs of the species to ensure its recovery and the demandsof the forestry industry," saidSimard.

Another group, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), said it intends toboycott the commission, as the options presented seem to favour the forestry industry and won't do nearly enough to save the caribou.

"The two scenarios that they are proposing, the one that would be the best for caribou is not enough. It sends the message that they're not really interested in saving the species," saidCPAWS executive director Alain Branchaud.

He said CPAWS isalso looking at legal options to force the province to protect its caribou herds.

The commissionemphasizedthat its work is not intended to choose between one scenarioor the other, but rather to stimulate reflection and frame the discussion using two extreme options.

The in-person consultations will begin on April 12 inSainte-Anne-des-Monts, in the Gasp region,and will end on May 17 inBaie-Comeau, on Quebec'sNorth Shore. The schedule also includes stops inBaie-Saint-Paul, LaSarre, Val-d'Or,Chibougamauand Alma.

The commission will meetcitizens, including representatives of First Nationscommunities, as well asstakeholders from the regions concerned to hear their opinions on thesehypothetical scenarios.

Quebecers are invited to express their views by participating in one of thepublic hearings, submitting a brief orfilling out an online questionnaire.

Once the consultations are over, thecommission will submit its recommendations to the government before the end of the summer.