Submitted by Catherine Pross
Your Vision:
Biodiversity is the keystone of our life on this planet and it is crumbling.
Forests should be managed to support biodiversity. For instance, the Province needs to protect at least 12 % of the province so that natural processes are allowed to work undisturbed. Wilderness areas and nature reserves are important in this regard, as well as parks. Parks are important, not only in preserving biodiversity, but also in giving people an opportunity to connect with the natural world as more and more individuals move to urban centres.
Forests which are harvested should be managed to support biodiversity, not clearcut. For example, individual mycorrhizal fungi interact with individual trees, not only with different species but with the same species at different stages of development. Uneven-aged management allows trees of different species and ages to be dispersed throughout the landscape in close proximity, so that the mycorrhizal fungi have the most opportunity to access the most beneficial partnerships, allowing better growth of tree species.
Mineral extraction should not be allowed to poison our landscape and water tables. Decisions to allow mining should be based on the total cost to our society of mineral extraction. Mining companies should take full financial responsibility for the by-products of mining. If total costs are considered, it will be clear that some minerals, like uranium, are better left in the ground.
Our priority in the future must be biodiversity. Forestry, mineral extraction, and park policies must support biodiversity in order that the web of life, which our lives depend upon, remains intact.