The Peace Region of British Columbia is home to some of the few remaining herds of Northern Caribou in British Columbia. Their habitat is under severe threat from mining and we are close to creating protected habitat for some of them to try and give them an opportunity to survive and hopefully thrive again. We need to make a final push to convince mining executives to agree to the habitat protection.
Numbers
Area of British Columbia 947,800 sq km
Northern Caribou in BC 16,560
Peace Region > 300
Moberly Herd reduced from 191 to 35
Bearhole-redwillow down from 80 to 21
Burnt-Pine – extinct
Quintette Herd 120 animals
The Northern Caribou of the Peace Region is a “species at risk” that is likely to be upgraded to “endangered” within a month.
The aim - to create 5,000 hectares of protected high elevation winter range for caribou.
Requires – existing coal license holders to voluntarily commit to no surface disturbance.
Companies Involved - Xstrata, via Boreas Coal Ltd and Anglo American via Peace River Coal, with Neolife Holdings having a license application pending Government approval.
Company Status
Xstrata/Sukunka Mine in environmental assessment process. Open pit at low elevation, sub-surface mine under Mount Chamberlain. EA application shows no surface disturbance required for the mine within proposed caribou habitat protection area. Xstrata will not make a commitment to the Government.
Anglo-American – just a license, no current plans to develop.
Neolife – license application stage.
We are not asking the companies to forego their mining opportunities, just to develop so that they only do sub-surface mining within the caribou high elevation winter range habitat. They know they do not need to damage the caribou habitat to access their coal, they just don’t see a binding commitment as a priority in their busy schedules, so let’s pull together and make them listen to public opinion and save the Quintette Herd from becoming extinct alongside the Burnt-Pine herd.
