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A
Case Study of Conservation in the Abitibi Region (Quebec–Ontario
Border)
ArborVitae Environmental Services, Boldon
Group
Alexandre Boursier, Lorne Johnson, Thomas Stubbs
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This case study has been commissioned as background research
for the NRTEE’s Conserving Canada’s Natural Capital:
The Boreal Forest program. The views expressed in the case
study are those of the authors, and do not necessarily represent
those of the National Round Table, its members, or the members
of the program’s Task Force.
July 21, 2004
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Preface
The National Round Table on the Environment
and the Economy (NRTEE), through its Conservation of Natural Heritage
program, is exploring the status of conservation and identifying
key challenges and opportunities at the national level in Canada.
The results to date from that program have prompted the NRTEE
to delve further into the extent and effectiveness of conservation
on the working landscape in Canada. The agency recognizes that
the extent of the non-reserved portion of the landscape, coupled
with the growing pressure for use of these lands, makes it imperative
to enhance conservation efforts and sustainable resource use on
non-reserved lands. Moreover, as use pressure in the boreal forest
in particular intensifies, and as the last remote areas are threatened
by access, the NRTEE feels that there is a limited window of opportunity
to establish the framework necessary for securing the natural
capital of this ecoregion.
Accordingly, the NRTEE has established
a spin-off program to examine ways to advance conservation on
the working boreal forest landscape, with an emphasis on regulatory
and fiscal policy reform. The new program, Conserving Canada’s
Natural Capital: The Boreal Forest, has the following objectives:
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to develop specific short- to
medium-term recommendations in the area of regulatory and fiscal
policy that will alleviate barriers to conservation;
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to identify best practices and
national-level incentives and instruments; and
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to describe the current challenge,
the role of major players and the range of policies that influence
conservation in Canada’s boreal forest.
To implement the program, the NRTEE
struck a task force comprising representatives from extractive
resource industry sectors, non-governmental organizations, academe
and national Aboriginal organizations.
In support of the objectives defined
above, the Boreal Forest program will yield two major products:
a State of the Debate report and a set of three case
studies. The State of the Debate report will outline
current issues in Canada’s boreal forest, identify best
practices, and assess the potential use of regulatory and fiscal
policy in furthering conservation and integrating it with economic
activity in Canada’s boreal forest. The report will assess
the debate surrounding conservation in the boreal forest and summarize
the extent of consensus and reasons for disagreement.
The role of the case studies is threefold:
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to outline key regulatory and
fiscal barriers to conservation in the case study areas, focusing
on those that are national in scope;
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to identify pragmatic and nationally
applicable areas of recommendation on how regulatory and fiscal
policy can promote conservation in the boreal forest in a way
that supports the general program goal and informs policy development
in this area; and
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to identify (where applicable)
examples of current best practices and national-level incentives
and instruments that seek to balance conservation with economic
development.
Three regions have been selected as
the case study areas:
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the Muskwa-Kechika Management
Area (northwestern British Columbia including parts of Yukon
and the Northwest Territories);
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the Al-Pac Forest Management Area
(northeastern Alberta); and
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the Abitibi-Témiscamingue
region (Quebec–Ontario border), which is the focus of
the present report.
Case study regions were chosen by the
Boreal Forest task force using the following criteria:
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pressure of multiple use and conflicts
(many resource sectors involved);
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presence of multiple jurisdictions;
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presence of innovative approaches
(examples of best practices);
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incorporation of aspen parklands,
taiga and boreal forest;
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potential for generating forward
momentum; and
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balanced geographic representation.
Regulatory and fiscal policies are
of primary interest in the case studies. Regulatory policy is
a key driver in determining how resource development is allocated
and managed, and it has clear impacts on conservation. Fiscal
policy is one of the most powerful means that governments have
to influence outcomes in the economy, but it is not typically
employed in a consistent and strategic manner to promote sustainable
development objectives.
The case studies are concerned with
conservation on the working landscape. Their focus is on facilitating
development that is more sustainable than current approaches and
not simply on creating more protected areas. Thus they will be
exploring issues where the risk of environmental loss or degradation
is real, where society’s long-term interests would be better
served by a more precautionary approach, and where there are gaps
in the current set of checks and balances.
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