Wilderness conservation and climate change
After habitat loss, climate change is the biggest threat to biodiversity. In fact, 20-30% of species are at increased risk of extinction as climate change proceeds.[1] And industrial development in the Boreal forest is fragmenting habitat and ecosystems, making it more difficult for species to respond and adapt to a changing climate.
The opportunity
Protecting Canada's Boreal Forest can actually slow the rate of climate change. Canada’s boreal ecoregion stores about 186 billion tons of carbon, mostly within soils and peatlands. But when this carbon is released into the atmosphere by logging, mining, peat extraction, oil and gas and hydro-electric development, it contributes to global warming.
Our goal
By protecting large tracts of wilderness, Canada will:- help ecosystems survive and respond in the face of climate change.
- prevent CO2 emissions caused by their industrial exploitation.
- slow the positive feedback loop between climate change and carbon loss from these ecosystems.
News
Protection will help forests survive climate change: CPAWS responds to study
April 17, 2009
Ontario puts ecosystems and climate in jeopardy by encouraging burning forests for energy
January 21, 2009
CPAWS advises feds on forestry sector package
December 29, 2008
1 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change