Broadback Valley Forest
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Broadback Valley Forest
IUCN category - - |
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 The Rivière Broadback |
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| location | Abitibi-Témiscamingue , Québec, Canada | |
| surface | 1300 km² | |
| Geographical location | 49 ° 52 ′ N , 75 ° 47 ′ W | |
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The Broadback Valley Forest or Waswanipi-Broadback Forest is located on the edge of Canada's last boreal jungle in the province of Quebec , where uncontrolled logging is currently advancing at great speed. It is located in the southwest of the province in the Abitibi region and covers an area of 1300 km². The entire valley covers around 22,000 km², but the primeval forest was cut down over the decades. In 2011, the timber company Eacom had several hundred more hectares of trees felled there, although three Cree trunks had objected. These are above all the Waswanipi Cree, in whose traditional territory the jungle area is located. In order to be able to maintain their traditional way of life, they are dependent on the trees and the game that can be found in them, as well as the fish stocks. In 2011 the provincial government made the concession to protect 300 km² of the forest. Greenpeace negotiated a moratorium with Eacom until 2013.
Despite successful negotiations that resulted in the Paix des Braves in 2002, the responsible ministry for natural resources switched to a new line in the Wasnawipi forest in November 2003, changed the Abitibi Consolidated's 5-year plan and thus allowed logging at any time. The Cree / Quebec Forestry Board investigated the matter. This met on October 17, 2003 after about 20 months' lead time.
In 2009, several timber companies applied for a logging license and to build a bridge over the Broadback River or Rivière Broadback . The prerequisite would have been an Environmental Impact Assessment , an investigation of the environmental impact . The Cree Grand Council rejected the urgent procedure because there was insufficient scientific data to assess the consequences. In May 2010 there was an agreement on the boreal forests, the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement . As a result, all companies, with the exception of Eacom, withdrew their applications. On the contrary, Eacom bought the Québec shares from Domtar and thus access to Broadback.
In November 2010, the Waswanipi, led by their chief Paul Gull, blocked the access roads to the forest. Previously, the Waswanipi tallyman , the leaders of the hunting areas, the Great Council of the Cree, as well as Greenpeace and other environmental protection organizations had objected to the project of the new forest owner Eacom. Greenpeace had given the Prime Minister of Jean Charest Province a study on the value of the area for the woodland caribou , for the local culture and as a carbon sink . Since then, the decision has been made by the provincial government. Greenpeace sent European workers to the area in April 2011 to support the Waswanipi in their resistance. In mid-May, the province's government announced that it wanted to establish an Assinica Cree Heritage Park . This should develop on 3000 km² of the traditional territory of the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree Nation. The demands of the Cree Nations of Nemaska and Waswanipi were not mentioned. One of the arguments is to protect the woodland caribou in the region.
Web links
- Map of the forest area
- Overview map of protected areas in the province
- Quebec's rich Broadback Valley still threatened , Canopy
- Broadback: A Valley to Protect , film, 5:52 min. (Greenpeace Canada)
Remarks
- ↑ Protect one of the Last Great Intact Forests in Québec: The Broadback Valley! ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Canopy 2011.
- ↑ Annual report 2004 ( Memento of the original dated August 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF, 11.1 MB).
- ^ Cree Heritage Park a first step to save the Broadback Valley , Greenpeace, May 17, 2011.
