The Problem
Woodland caribou are disappearing
Woodland caribou herds have declined significantly in the last 100 years. Several herds have disappeared completely. evidence suggests the majority of these herds will go extinct without conservation action.
When caribou are in trouble, we are too.
The planet is warming, putting life as we know it at risk. Saving the woodland caribou and their Boreal Forest home can help.
Woodland caribou live in the Boreal forest. This rich landscape traps carbon and keeps it out of the atmosphere, slowing the pace of climate change. Protecting the Boreal forest protects caribou -- and us. Deep reductions in fossil fuel emissions are a big part of the climate change puzzle.
Protecting caribou habitat can also help fight climate change:
- by providing a home for wildlife.
Scientists estimate 20-30% of species worldwide are threatened by climate change. Many species are flleing northward to escape a warming planet. - by storing greenhouse gases.
Canada's intact Boreal Forest is one of the world's largest storehouse of land-based carbon. Our Boreal stores more than 186 billion tons of carbon - 27 years' worth of global carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels!
But when the Boreal Forest is developed or logged, its ability to absorb and store carbon is lost or reduced, and carbon is released to the atmosphere.
Make Forests Count
The current Kyoto Protocol doesn't do enough to make forests, like the Boreal, count towards reducing carbon emissions. Let decisionmakers know how you feel:
Send a letter at Make Forests Count
Caribou and carbon
Where is the carbon in the Boreal Forest?
Most of the Boreal's carbon is stored in soil and peatlands. Woodland caribou have a particular affinity for carbon-rich, Boreal Forest peatlands.
How does this compare to other types of forests?
The world's Boreal Forests store almost four times as much carbon as tropical forests and almost six times as much as temperate forests.
Why does the Boreal store more carbon than other forests?
The cold temperature and high fresh water content of boreal soils slows decomposition, resulting in deep, carbon-rich soils that can be thousands of years old.
How much carbon is in Canada's Boreal?
An estimated 186 billion tonnes (71 billion tonnes in forest and 113 billion tonnes in peat).
Did you know?
Caribou are the only large mammal that can survive on a diet of lichens, their preferred food sources in snow-blanketed Boreal forests.