A large majority of Manitobans favour conservation of most of the province’s boreal forest, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted by Probe Research for the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), found widespread support for boreal conservation among Manitobans of all political stripes and demographics.
Stretching across our province and beyond, the boreal forest is made up of trees and other vegetation, freshwater lakes and streams, and wetlands – primarily peatlands, a type of wetland that contains rich organic soil. (Image: Lake Winnipeg Foundation)
The survey showed most Manitobans embrace conservation targets that are more ambitious than those adopted by Ontario and Quebec, which have policies to protect 50 percent of the boreal region in their provinces from industrial development.
In addition, the poll indicated Manitobans want the government to develop a broad-based plan in partnership with Indigenous communities to balance sustainable development and conservation in the north.
“The Canadian Boreal is the world’s largest remaining intact terrestrial ecosystem,” said Dr. Hank Venema, chief scientist at IISD,”Manitoba has a big piece of it and it is really only now coming under pressure from development. Manitobans want to see their economy and communities prosper, but want it done in a way that is respectful of the land and the people who live on it. We have in this province a unique opportunity to look forward, to strive for – and achieve – the right balance between development and conservation. To get things right where in many other places it has gone wrong.”
The poll was conducted via telephone interviews Jan. 14-27 among a random and representative sampling of 1,015 Manitoba adults. Among its findings:
- 62 percent of Manitobans feel that there should be an even balance between conservation and development in the north.
- 34 percent feel that conservation should be the highest priority.
- 3 percent say that development should be the highest priority.
- 88 percent overall feel that at least half of the Boreal should be protected, with 63 percent stating that the level of protection should be greater than half.
- 86 percent of Manitobans from northern or rural areas feel that at least half of the Boreal should be protected, with 55 percent stating that the level of protection should be greater than half.
- 10 percent overall said that less than half should be protected.
- These values are held consistently across party lines.
- On average, Manitobans believed that 75 percent of the boreal forest should be protected and that 25 percent of it should be open to development.
- By a 4 to 1 margin, Manitobans believe that companies operating in the boreal forest region should be required to share resources extracted from traditional lands with Indigenous communities.
Curtis Brown, Vice-President at Probe Research Inc. said the results show that support for a balanced approach to conservation and sustainable development of the boreal region crosses partisan and ideological lines.
According to the poll, people who back all three major political parties in Manitoba”want their provincial government to protect and preserve the bulk of its untouched boreal forests – an impressive consensus.”
While some debate might be expected between those who want broader conservation and those who want more development, according to Probe’s analysis, the debate is only between those who want to see half of the region protected and those who want more than half protected:”The fulcrum point of debate on boreal policy will be between those who want to see total or near-total preservation of these ecological assets and those who are inclined to allow limited development in these areas.”
Dr. Venema said the poll validates efforts by resource companies, conservation organizations and Indigenous communities to implement the principles outlined in the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework.
“The Framework calls for landscape scale planning in partnership with Indigenous communities to protect at least half of the Boreal, and provide world-class standards for sustainable development on the remainder,” said Dr. Venema. “Quebec and Ontario have already adopted many of the principles of the Framework, but nowhere has the public support for this approach been as high as we’re seeing here in Manitoba – and across party lines. It’s very encouraging to see that Manitobans strongly favour taking the long view and embracing conservation and sustainable development for such a large and important part of the province.”
The poll is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Eighty percent of Manitoba’s land surface area is classified as boreal forest, a landscape that stores amounts of carbon comparable to the Amazon rainforest. Three-quarters of all the bird species in boreal forest region of North America can be found in Manitoba. These 250 species in Manitoba represents a total population of 100 to 300 million birds. Manitoba’s boreal region is also home to robust herds of the iconic boreal woodland caribou, which are in decline in other jurisdictions around the country because of habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.
