Quebec must act to protect caribou forests and mountains, without waiting for the report of the independent commission examining the habitat management and population of these deer, the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and of Labrador (AFNQL) said.
If he doesn’t, The First Nations will work to protect the caribou and promote their rightswrote in a press release the political organization representing 43 indigenous communities.
L ‘AFNQL further requires that the development and implementation of a caribou protection strategy be done in close collaboration with First Nations.
He noted that there were no indigenous experts on the commissioners and Considering that the rights and interests of Aboriginal people are not taken into account in the mandate given by Quebec to the independent commission on woodland and mountain caribou, headed by Nancy Gélinas, dean of the Université’s faculty of forestry, geography and geomatics Laval and specialize in forest economics.
First country holds the rights and possesses valuable knowledge of their territories and ecosystems therein, the result of their empirical observations transmitted over millennia, written byAFNQL. For many of them, caribou are at the heart of their identities, their cultures and their way of life. In this sense, they should be considered experts in the management of caribou populations and their habitat..
The commission’s work should focus on the next caribou protection strategy, which was twice rejected by the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) during its mandate. for ‘AFNQLthese works are not which is a scheme by the Quebec government to again postpone the development and implementation of measures to protect caribou and their habitat.
An endangered species
The caribou population in Quebec is between 6,000 and 8,500 animals. Herds of Val-d’Or, Charlevoix and Gaspésie are in a critical situation, and the one in the Pipmuacan reservoir, in Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean, is also showing alarming signs.
During the consultations, two forest management scenariostheoretical and hypothetical were presented to participants to collect their opinions and observations.
The commission concluded its consultations on Tuesday.
At the end of the month, it will review it to make a report at the end of the summer.
In recent months, the Innu communities of Essipit and Mashteuiatsh have gone to court to denounce the fact that Quebec did not adequately consult with them when developing a protection plan for the woodland caribou and its habitat. and the Pessamit is preparing to do so.
Source: Radio-Canada
