Moratorium Now! Stop Clear-Cutting Crown Land in Unceded Mi’kma’ki

Forest protector Jacob Fillmore has been camped outdoors in front of City Hall and Province House for 12 weeks now, urging a temporary moratorium on clear-cutting on crown land in unceded Mi’kmak’i. He has recently escalated his tactics and is now refusing food until this moratorium is put in place, citing the plight of the critically endangered Mainland Moose.We need to support Jacob in his hunger strike and ensure that the province prioritizes addressing his concerns, especially as the province has dragged its feet on implementing recommended forest management reforms for years. Iain Rankin has repeatedly pledged a more aggressive timeline in implementing the Lahey Report*, which prescribed these reforms, but current clear-cutting practices run counter to the report’s recommendations.

Among other things, the Lahey report recommended that the DLF immediately prioritize the designation and protection of core habitat for at risk species on crown land. Despite accepting this recommendation the government has yet to implement it. Now the forests are in worse shape than they were two years ago. We can’t continue to stall and log.There could be fewer than 100 Mainland Moose left in Nova Scotia, according to recent surveys conducted for the provincial government, as reported by the CBC. Last year, forest protectors were arrested for blocking access to loggers attempting to clearcut land that is known Mainland Moose habitat. A court injunction effectively removed the protectors from their blockade, and now urgent Provincial government action is needed to protect these critical habitats. Without a moratorium on clear cutting NOW, most (if not all) old forest growth in this province will be lost before Lahey’s recommendations are implemented.

_________________________________* See “Lahey Forestry Report: The Good, the Bad & the Missing” by EAC’s Raymond Plourde https://ecologyaction.ca/forestryreport