Quebec announced on Tuesday a series of measures aimed at protecting woodland caribou, a species that has been designated as vulnerable in the province since 2005.
Under the action plan, the government will maintain 90 per cent of intact forests, create protected areas in the Broadback Valley and in the Montagnes Blanches and preserve the habitat of the caribou through appropriate forest planning.
The plan was unveiled by Forestry Minister Laurent Lessard, Environment Minister David Heurtel and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Geoffrey Kelley.
The plan will also include as a pilot project to dismantle certain logging roads. Such roads are viewed as having endangered the species. But it’s not clear whether the measure will lead to a resurgence in the caribou population.
The second phase of the plan calls for a long-term strategy to preserve the caribou habitat, including better monitoring of the caribou population and improved use of timber supply sources.