Alberta selling mountain caribou habitat

Alberta's decision to sell offhabitat that supports two endangered caribou herds for energy developmentis bad science,bad politics and bad economics, say environmentalists, scientistsand opposition politicians.

"It is a revealing demonstration of this utter lack of attentionto environmental considerations in this province," NDP member ofthe legislature Rachel Notley said Wednesday.

"It's always about industry first and then putting out pressreleases to save the environment second."

Joe Anglin, environment critic for the Opposition Wildrose party,said the sales should be at least delayed.

"One of the biggest impediments to getting access tointernational markets is our environmental record," he said. "We
do ourselves a disservice when we have an opportunity to do a littleboasting on how well we take care of the environment and here's anopportunity."

Liberal Laurie Blakeman suggested that with so much energydevelopment already in Alberta, there's no need to tear up 1,700hectares of the last remaining habitat for mountain caribou.

"We can afford to slow down on development," she said. "Thegovernment does not need to be leasing that land out right now they could be saying, no, we're going to set that aside and justleave it alone for 10 years."

Grande Caches lots for lease

Alberta Energy has begun lease sales for seven plots of landnorth of Grande Cache that is crucial habitat for the survival oftwo mountain caribou herds. The news came just days after a federalpanel of scientists concluded that all Alberta's mountain caribouherds should be considered endangered the highest level of threatin Canadian law.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canadafound the population of the herds has declined by 60 per cent overthe last decade, mostly attributable to industrial development.

About 500 hectares for sale are in the range of the 100-memberRedrock-Prairie Creek herd. Half of that herd's entire range hasalready been affected by development, according to data compiled by Global Forest Watch.

The other 1,200 hectares is on the range of the 78-animalNarraway herd. More than 81 per cent of that range is already
disrupted.

The leases in question amount to 14 per cent of the total amountof land on the block in the current auction one of 13 suchauctions held by the province so far this year.

Alberta Energy officials have said energy leases on caribou rangeare sold with guidelines on how companies can minimize disruption.

Guidelines aren't working, say critics

Anglin said that given the steady decline of Alberta's herds,those guidelines aren't working.

"What we need to figure out is if it is appropriate to develop,which we don't know yet. We have to come up with guidelines andrules that actually do work."

Notley said a good start would be to declare a moratorium onindustrial leases in mountain caribou territory, similar to what hasbeen done on two nearby boreal caribou ranges.

"If the government is truly committed to protecting the caribou,that is what they need to do. None of what they've done up to thispoint is going to do it."

Her call was supported by Fiona Schmiegelow, a senior biologistwho spoke from Whitehorse, Yukon, where she was attending aconference on caribou conservation.

"Considering new mineral allocations in ranges where populationsare experiencing precipitous decline ... it seems counter to thedirection and need for caribou conservation and is likely to lead to greater conflict in these areas. It's going to create a lot lessflexibility to finding solutions," she said.

A federal recovery plan for mountain caribou is nearly complete,Schmiegelow said. That plans stipulates a target of 65 per cent of aherd's range should consist of usable habitat.

Carolyn Campbell of the Alberta Wilderness Association said thereare ways all interests could be accommodated.

They includelonger-distance directional drilling, pooled leases and aggressivereforestation "to ensure intact habitat is maintained and far moreis restored than is now occurring."

"All this is possible, significant energy resources could stillbe extracted, and caribou would have a future there."