EDMONTON — Simon Dyer, Alberta Regional Director at the Pembina Institute, made the following statement in response to the Government of Alberta’s caribou announcement:
“Today’s release of incomplete range plans for woodland caribou is Alberta’s second missed deadline to meet a legal requirement to protect caribou habitat. The Alberta Government has had five years to finalize specific range plans for the province’s 15 woodland caribou herds. Yet the documents tabled today do not demonstrate how caribou habitat will be protected as required by federal law.
“Range plans must include binding obligations to ensure restoration of each range, and clearly demonstrate how adequate caribou habitat will be conserved and restored. These components are not present in the draft plan announced today.
“Alberta must move quickly to legally designate permanent protected areas, such as the promised 1.8 million hectares of wildland parks in northwestern Alberta, and conservation areas for caribou committed to as part of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan.
“We are committed to working with the Government of Alberta before March 2018 to complete these plans, but planning must accelerate. Without finalized range plans that meet federal rules, responsible oil and gas development is out of reach and Alberta’s resource-based communities will continue to be impacted by a failing regulatory system operating outside the law.
“Given Alberta’s deficient plan, we call on the federal government to step in and recommend protection of critical habitat for caribou in Alberta.”
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Contact
Communications Lead, Pembina Institute
587-585-4522
Alberta Regional Director, Pembina Institute
587-873-3937
Background
Blog: Federal recovery strategy confirms protecting habitat is key to protecting caribou
Blog: Protect Alberta’s caribou or they won’t survive 50 more years