Untouched Wilderness

Desires dictate our Priorities.
Priorities shape our Choices.
And Choices determine our Actions!

Elder Dallin H. Oakes' belief ~

If you're on the right path, it will always be uphill.

Strange, is it not we live in a prosperous city bordering a Great Lake, yet, a few kilometres north of us is lush country of treed valleys...rolling hills and streams...a nature park...and a big blue sky?

“The dream of untouched wilderness ~ where animals roam at will, has been a cherished ideal of nature-lovers as long as I can remember,”stated Alanna Mitchell. “Many environmental campaigns are based on the idea that we must preserve many pristine tracts of land as possible ~ for the sake of bio-diversity ~ keeping out the roads and the loggers and the hunters.

It seems intuitive that wildlife will thrive in places where humans cannot go. The flip-side feels correct too ~ as humans carve up the remaining patches of landscape, animals may suffer greatly.
It's been a sore point for 40 years as studies from around the world on fragmented habitats.

An international team of scientists, led by Matthew Betts of Oregon, reviewed 73 sets of data from all over the world ~ representing more than 4,000 forest-dwelling animal species. They focused on forests because 70% of the Earth's remaining forest is within one kilometre of the forest's edge.

The scientist team, looking at all the data, stated: “Species that have endured the vast disruptions many millennia have evolved to withstand further disturbances.

Those include the ones humans now inflict such as logging...hunting...and burning...

as well as natural catastrophes from the past such as hurricanes, glaciation and wild fires.
All those calamities lead to 'life on the edge.' It is a test of resilience.

Species that can't adapt to life under changeable conditions, die out. Those that can, live on!

In higher latitudes, such as Canada, where fragmentation is not as damaging because the species have dealt with it for millennia, the conservation focus should be on preserving 'old-growth-forests'.

Because it's happening so fast, climate change could strip some species of the resilience they have developed over the millennia ...pushing them to a new edge of survival.

Even, the most severely tested animals may not be able
to withstand what humans have unleashed on the planet.

Forests and Our Future

Canadians have a rare chance to help the entire planet by promoting healthy forests at home.
Here's where we are now ~ and what needs to happen.

Where We Are Now: Canada's vast wilderness represents a quarter of the world's wild land. It teems with animal and plant life. Resource extraction...insect infestations and forest fires ~ exacerbated by the climate crisis ~ actually means the boreal forest actually contributes to Canada's carbon footprint.

What Needs to Happen: A healthy boreal forest mitigates climate change, by acting as a carbon sponge.
Canadians need to prioritize the health of the forests with policies and regulations that preserve and restore vast regions of healthy forest...support the health of native animals and plants...and promote adaption to 'an already-changed climate'.

Soil: The thousands-of-years old permafrost that underlays 40 percent of Canada's boreal forest is part of a vast system stretching through the Arctic. That region is warming faster than any other place on Earth. Scientists believe melting permafrost could release 1.7 trillion tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. The ground under the other 60 percent also sequesters ancient deep carbon.

Trees: You can't see a forest without them ~ but these Canadian icons fall by the thousands to invaders
like the pine beetle and threats like resource extraction,,.land clearing for construction...and forest fires.
Healthy mature trees are essential to supporting a forest eco-system that can store carbon.

Weather: Size matters: research has found that larger, uninterrupted areas of forest are: more resilient they are to extreme weather. Something as simple as a road can throw an eco-system into chaos.
Policies that promote...and actively manage big untouched wilderness preserves can make a huge difference ~ even if some forests must be used more actively by humans.

(The foregoing gleaned from a 2-page colour spread in Wildlife magazine)

Writer: Merle Baird-Kerr...June 18, 2020

To respond: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca