Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.09.017
Title (Primary) Potential pitfalls of private initiatives in conservation planning: A case study from Canada's boreal forest
Author Murray, D.L.; Majchrzak, Y.N.; Peers, M.J.L.; Wehtje, M.; Ferreira, C.; Pickles, R.S.A.; Row, J.R.; Thornton, D.H.
Source Titel Biological Conservation
Year 2015
Department NSF
Volume 192
Page From 174
Page To 180
Language englisch
Supplements https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006320715301099-mmc1.docx
Keywords Conservation planning; Boreal forest; Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement; Woodland caribou; Protected area network; Canada
UFZ wide themes RU1
Abstract Large-scale conservation planning entails the establishment of protected area networks that retain substantive natural habitat, biodiversity, and functional connectivity, but developing such networks at the spatial extent needed for meeting global targets involves considerable logistical, political, and social challenges. Normally, governments oversee development of protected area networks, but in the absence of political leadership private initiatives may offer a reasonable alternative approach in conservation planning. We review the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA), a private conservation planning initiative established by forestry companies and environmental organizations that suspends permitted logging activities on roughly 29 million hectares of boreal forest in Canada. The CBFA is touted as a milestone in conservation planning, multi-stakeholder cooperation, and woodland caribou conservation. Yet, the CBFA: 1) involves public land but excludes federal, provincial and aboriginal governments; 2) is not legally binding or necessarily transferrable upon sale of forest tenures; and 3) exempts industrial activities other than logging. Covering 4.6% of the boreal region of Canada, CBFA land tenures do not include most boreal ecozones and do not conform to standard guidelines for designing effective protected area networks. Further, the CBFA does not anticipate effects of climate change, which by 2080 likely will render land tenures unsuitable for caribou, the flagship species of the agreement. We conclude that private initiatives like the CBFA may constitute positive, initial steps toward large-scale conservation planning, but their successful integration into protected area networks will require scientifically robust and transparent efforts that are more fully coordinated with public initiatives.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=16646
Murray, D.L., Majchrzak, Y.N., Peers, M.J.L., Wehtje, M., Ferreira, C., Pickles, R.S.A., Row, J.R., Thornton, D.H. (2015):
Potential pitfalls of private initiatives in conservation planning: A case study from Canada's boreal forest
Biol. Conserv. 192 , 174 - 180 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.09.017