Collaboration leads to solutions for threatened woodland caribou and jobs
Press Release
May 18, 2016
Innovative CPAWS-Tembec partnership key to success in Ontario and Quebec
Thunder Bay, Ontario – Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Tembec (TSX:TMB) are showcasing their joint innovative solutions aimed at achieving woodland caribou habitat conservation and a healthy forest industry in Ontario and Quebec at a special event at the Victoria Inn today in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
This special side event is happening at the same venue and time as the city is hosting the 16th North American Caribou Workshop (NACW). The NACW is described as “the foremost conference of its kind addressing caribou biology, research and management” and both CPAWS and Tembec are participating.
CPAWS and Tembec have been collaborating for almost ten years. Their joint work in Ontario and Quebec are examples of what is possible when people set aside their positions and bring pragmatic problem-solving approach to resource challenges. They have come up with voluntary recommendations to assist the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in meeting requirements for range plans under the federal recovery strategy for boreal caribou. Range plans are due by October 2017. CPAWS and Tembec will be showcasing their voluntary recommendations at their special side event today.
“There is a culture of leadership at Tembec that invites collaboration,” said Janet Sumner, Executive Director for CPAWS Wildlands League—the Ontario chapter of CPAWS. “This kind of leadership is unparalleled in Canada when it comes to forest management and caribou,” said Sumner. In Ontario, the two groups have come up with innovative solutions for the 3 million hectares Abitibi River Forest near Cochrane. They used best available science and wood supply information. CPAWS and Tembec worked directly with affected municipalities and local First Nations, and with organizations linked to the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, to come up with a three-zoned approach that is better for caribou and mills and is respectful of communities.
“We have a great relationship with CPAWS and maintaining excellent lines of communications is one of the reasons for our success,” said Chris Black, Executive Vice President, Forest Products, Pulp and Paper for Tembec. “It is true we each have our own perspective and interests, but when we work together and listen to each other, that is when bright ideas are developed,” added Black.
In Northwestern Quebec, Tembec and SNAP Québec – the Quebec chapter of CPAWS – are collaborating on a caribou plan for 675,000 hectares of the Northern La Sarre Forest area. The collaboration was initiated through the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification and brought together Tembec, SNAP Québec, Abitibiwinni First Nation and the Québec government. This woodland caribou habitat management plan will help achieve caribou conservation with a strategy to preserve suitable habitat for this threatened species, while maintaining proper forest operations level and limit impact on forest industry supply objectives.
“This win-win approach regarding woodland caribou and Tembec persistent efforts to meet FSC requirements is a demonstration of environmental leadership,” said Alain Branchaud, Executive Director for SNAP Québec. “The collaboration is ongoing as we constantly seek to align the caribou plan with the most recent scientific guidelines,” added Branchaud.
The groups are hosting a press conference at 5:00 PM in the Ontario Room of the Victoria Inn. This will be followed by a public event from 5:30 to 7:00 PM where workshop participants and interested members of the public can mingle with staff from CPAWS and Tembec and look over maps, pictures and posters showcasing their solutions in both provinces.
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For more information please contact:
Anna Baggio, CPAWS Wildlands League, 416-453-3285
Michel Lessard, Tembec, 514-268-0053
Pier-Olivier Boudreault, SNAP Québec, 514-708-3085
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