Green Propserity is a joint effort by 23 of Ontario's leading environmental organizations to outline an action agenda for the province that we believe will help make Ontario a world leader in green practices and programs. For more information on the groups involved, click here.

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

Canadian Environmental Law Association

Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy

Citizens Environment Alliance

Community Power Fund

Conservation Council of Ontario

David Suzuki Foundation

Earthroots

Ecojustice

Environment North

Environmental Defence

Forest Ethics

Great Lakes United

Greenpeace

Local Food Plus

Ontario Nature

Ontario Smart Growth Network

Ontario Sustainable Energy Association

Pembina Institute

Sierra Club

Toronto Environmental Alliance

Wildlands League

World Wildlife Fund

	Woodland caribou have already lost half of their former habitat in Ontario. We need to move quickly to secure the habitat of this and other endangered species.

2010 is the United Nations international year of biodiversity. In Ontario, mark this year by taking concrete action to protect the habitat of endangered species, starting with a habitat regulation that covers the full current range of threatened woodland caribou.

Ontario passed a gold standard Endangered Species Act in 2007. Since then, however, there has been little done to actually protect the habitat of species listed under the Act. Threatened woodland caribou are one of ten species that the government promised to fast-track for habitat protection by July 1, 2009, but the habitat regulation for caribou has still not been finalized.

Woodland caribou, an icon of our vast boreal forest, has already lost 50% of its historic habitat in Ontario. Scientists say that a habitat regulation requiring action to protect caribou across the full extent of its remaining range is critical to the species’ survival and recovery. 

The Ontario government needs to demonstrate that it is serious about upholding the spirit and intent of the Endangered Species Act by moving forward with this regulation.  In doing so, Ontario will be taking a significant step toward meeting its national and international obligations to protect biodiversity.

Further resources:

Recent Anthropogenic Changes within the Boreal Forests of Ontario and their Potential Impact on Woodland Caribou - Global Forest Watch Canada