Montreal – In response to the publication of the “literature review” (meta-analysis) to better understand caribou decline, commissioned in 2019 by Pierre Dufour, Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP), Olivier Kölmel, Nature & Food campaigner for Greenpeace Canada, said:
“The Ministry is neither fit to do its job nor worthy of its mandate. For years, the MFFP has been constantly pushing back its duty to protect and restore species at risk, including caribou. We are not surprised that the study does not show anything new – that habitat loss is the main reason for the decline of this animal. Watching the Department act, it is hard to believe it cares about caribou extinction. We need an end to delays, political interference and the control of the big foresters in this file. It is high time for the Government of Quebec to initiate a commission of inquiry accompanied by a major spring cleaning at the Ministry. Perhaps there we will find a better chance of responding to the biodiversity crisis that threatens us all.”
According to Greenpeace, Quebec does not have a holistic approach to land management, nor a systematic integration of the needs and rights of Indigenous Peoples. Even in the announcement of 17% protection of the territory for 2020, 83 proposals for protected areas were ignored, and there was no mention of the international objective to restore 15% of degraded ecosystems. These forests and natural environments are essential for Quebec to achieve its climate, biodiversity and population health objectives. It is therefore essential that the government review its legislative and operational priorities.
For more information, please contact :
Dina Ni, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Canada
[email protected]; +1 514 400-3313
Marie-Christine Fiset, Head of Media, Greenpeace Canada
[email protected]; +1 514 972-6316