Canada is being urged to protect our boreal forests. A meeting of 1,500 scientists gathered in Ottawa identified the global significance of Canada's forest lands. From Reuters:
"Canada's Boreal Forest, stretching from the Alaskan border and running north of the plains all the way to Newfoundland on the Atlantic, is one of largest intact forest-and-wetland ecosystems remaining on earth.
"The mainly coniferous forest is the single largest terrestrial carbon storehouse in the world, which helps stem the greenhouse effect. It supports 3 billion migratory songbirds, the world's largest caribou herds and large populations of bears, wolves, lynx and fish.
"University of Alberta ecologist David Schindler warned, 'Canada's Boreal Forest offers what may be our last, best chance to do things right, but only if our leaders act decisively and act now.'
"The scientists called for half of Canada's Boreal Forest to be protected, up from 10 percent now, and for development in the rest to be carefully managed, particularly in the face of pressure from logging, mining and oil and gas operations.
"For example, they said an area the size of Florida is slated to be used for the development of Canada's vast tar sands reserves."
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