Woodland Caribou Conservation: Going Nowhere Fast
Unfortunately, to date only crude population estimates and delineations of herd ranges have been publicly available. This has long been a concern to the ECO; we first called on the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to develop a caribou monitoring program in our 2001/2002 Annual Report.
Members of the public share this concern. In 2006, the ECO received an application for review that raised broad concerns about Ontario’s regulatory framework for the management of woodland caribou, including inadequate monitoring. MNR agreed to undertake a “scoped review,” focusing only on provisions for monitoring woodland caribou and their habitat.
| "Ontario’s Woodland Caribou Conservation Plan" |
|---|
| "Ontario’s Woodland Caribou Conservation Plan (October 2009) represents the official government response to the Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (Forest-dwelling, Boreal population) in Ontario (July 2008). Both documents are required under the Endangered Species Act, 2007. The Caribou Conservation Plan outlines measures the government intends to take to protect and recover woodland caribou and its habitat.
The ECO reviewed the Caribou Conservation Plan in our 2009/2010 Annual Report, concluding that the government’s planned approach is simply a reiteration of the very status quo that has caused the northward range recession of woodland caribou. |
In September 2010, MNR provided the results of its review. MNR waited to finalize its review until after it had
released Ontario’s Woodland Caribou Conservation Plan in October 2009. In its response to the applicants,
MNR provided, among other things, a breakdown of the monitoring requirements for each strategy and action
identified in the Caribou Conservation Plan. The ministry reported that it would be developing a two-phase
“implementation plan,” and that a full monitoring strategy would emerge from the second phase of the plan. (For
the full text of the ministry’s decision, see our website at www.eco.on.ca.)
In fact, the Caribou Conservation Plan prioritized completing the implementation plan within six months (i.e., by April 2010), and targeted the monitoring plan, including standards and protocols, for completion within one year (i.e., by October 2010). As of July 2011, however, neither document has been released; MNR has a long history of repeatedly failing to meet timelines related to measures for woodland caribou.
In July 2011, MNR informed the ECO that it has completed an estimate of Ontario’s caribou population, as well as two integrated range assessments, and that it will be releasing both a report on caribou range delineation and an “18-month implementation report outlining accomplishments to date” by fall 2011. While the ECO is pleased to learn of this development, we are extremely disappointed that MNR did not first release its implementation plan and caribou monitoring strategy, both of which ought to have undergone public consultation under the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993 (EBR) prior to being implemented.
Ontarians have a high degree of concern about the province’s plans for woodland caribou conservation, and the consequences to forestry in particular. For example, caribou habitat regulation has been an issue of heated public debate (to read about how MNR circumvented its 'EBR' obligations to consult the public on its proposed approach to regulate caribou habitat, see Part 8.4 of this Annual Report). By failing to keep the public informed of its progress, MNR is allowing this public anxiety to fester. Monitoring information is critical to framing this sensitive dialogue; only with a current and clear understanding of caribou population, range and distribution can a rational discussion be had about conserving Ontario’s caribou. If robust monitoring data were publicly available, the public might be surprised by the limited extent to which conservation measures would actually affect local communities. The ECO therefore urges MNR to make releasing all of these documents – in full compliance with its public consultation obligations under the 'EBR' – a high priority.
For a more detailed review of this application, please refer to Section 5.6.1 of the Supplement to this Annual Report. For ministry comments, please see Appendix C.
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| This is an article from the 2010/11 Annual Report to the Legislature from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. |
Citing This Article:
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 2011. "Woodland Caribou Conservation: Going Nowhere Fast." Engaging Solutions, ECO Annual Report, 2010/11. Toronto: The Queen's Printer for Ontario. 44-45.
