It is important that…

It is important that scientific knowledge is applied to recovering species at risk to return them to safer levels of population in their natural environments. Reacting politically to pressure groups can be counter productive to survival of species at risk. Pressure groups are too often motivated by well intentioned individuals, who have their own unrealized biases, that blind them to the real needs of that which their group aspires to promote, of protect.

I am a retired professional forester who for 60 years has been dealing with such well intentioned, but too-often, wrongly informed organizations. Starting 60 years ago I witnessed and helped revive an endangered woodland caribou population return to near carrying capacity in all of its former range on the Island of Newfoundland. The methods used were based on the best science of the time and the cooperation of government, industry and citizens. Cooperation and good science were the key ingredients in that success. In my opinion, since then poorly informed pressure groups, with their own selfish interests, have prevented the application of good science to management of the herd. As a result, populations have been in sustained decline for the past two decades. I believe Ontario's woodland caribou are suffering from the same pressures and until rational science is applied there will be little hope for their recovery to sustainable populations.

My reading of the science suggests that Ontario's forest dwelling caribou require large areas of even-aged forest stands with a mixture of stands of different single ages. This can only be achieved by large fires and/or large clearcuts. Research elsewhere has shown that caribou move to the more desirable habitats as natural trends and depletions change habitat. The only restrictions appear to be a need for secure calving grounds, and avoidance of wolf infested small stands derived from small fires and, or, small clearcuts. Small cuts were, and are, a result of pressure on government to improve the appearance of the forest, and also, to enhance moose populations.

Other species than caribou could also be in decline because they are being "loved to death". The environment reacts without passion to disturbance. If doesn't matter if that disturbance is a natural or human caused event. If we get the cure wrong we may wipe out a population, to the benefit of whatever is capable of replacing that population, and the new natural trend will continue. That said, continuing loss of species is detrimental to our own survival. Let's get it right!