January, 28 2010, 03:46pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Dr. Faisal Moola, Science Director, David Suzuki Foundation - (647) 993-5788
Dr. Jim Pojar, Report author and senior ecologist - (250) 847-9429
Protect Nature to Protect Us
New report and accompanying letter signed by top international scientists and environmental thinkers urges government to integrate nature conservation into provincial climate action strategy.
VANCOUVER
British Columbia's fight against climate change should focus on
conserving at least 50% of its land base using new strategies for
nature conservation and carbon storage, says a new peer-reviewed report
by senior ecologist Dr. Jim Pojar.
Download A New Climate for Conservation report as a .pdf now >>
"Our
survival is intertwined with nature's survival, and climate change is
forcing us to re-evaluate the way we protect nature," said Dr. Pojar.
"A minimum conservation target of 50% is what's necessary to give our
plants and animals a fighting chance to adapt, while also keeping and
drawing more carbon out of the atmosphere so that over time we can slow
and reduce climate change."
The 50% figure emphasizes expansion
and connection of existing protected areas plus development of new
buffer zones and restoration areas, allowing sustainable resource
development while providing refuge for species and ecosystems across a
changing landscape. Additionally, because forestry economics are
changing dramatically, BC should look to opportunities opening for
conservation as a means of re-inventing the industry of the future.
There
are precedents for large-scale conservation in Canada. Ontario and
Quebec have made commitments to protect more than 50% of their Northern
Boreal regions, and BC has its own successful examples to build on,
including Haida Gwaii and the Great Bear Rainforest. Benefits of
large-scale conservation include greater clarity for where and how
resource development occurs, as well as economic and social benefits
like ecosystem services (e.g. clean air and water) and new markets for
carbon and conservation.
Accompanied by a letter signed by
several of the world's top environmental thinkers, including Dr. James
Hansen, Dr. Michael Soule and Bill McKibben, and released to coincide
with the UN's International Year of Biodiversity, the report is the
second in less than a month to suggest that BC needs to change the way
it manages its environment in response to climate change.
Download the endorsed letter to BC Premier Gordon Campbell here >>
"There's
a small price for being too early, but a huge penalty for being too
late when it comes to fighting climate change," said Dr. James Hansen,
world-renowned climatologist and adjunct professor at Columbia
University. "Our efforts for mitigation and adaptation will be
meaningless unless they include immediate and substantial protection of
the natural systems that sustain us."
A New Climate for Conservation Media Kit
Click here to download the full report as a .pdf >>
If you have Flash installed, click here to view the full report online >>
Click here to download the executive summary of the report as a .pdf >>
Click here to read a brief summary of the report >>
Click here to download the media backgrounder as a .pdf >>
Click here to download the endorsed letter to B.C. Premier Campbell >>
Founded in 2000, ForestEthics is a nonprofit environmental organization with staff in Canada, the United States and Chile. Our mission is to protect Endangered Forests and wild places, wildlife, and human wellbeing--one of our focus areas is climate change, which compromises all of our efforts if left unchecked. We catalyze environmental leadership among industry, governments and communities by running hard-hitting and highly effective campaigns that leverage public dialogue and pressure to achieve our goals.
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