A national conversation group is applauding the Ontario government's plan to remove more land inside Algonquin Provincial Park from logging.
CPAW Wildlands League said increasing protected areas by 50 per cent to more than 370,000 hectares is a step in the right direction toward protecting the “ecological integrity” of the famous northeastern Ontario provincial park.
“Ultimately we want to see logging phased out of Algonquin, with a plan to diversify local economies that have depended in the past on logging,” said Wildlands director Janet Sumner in a Nov. 3 statement.
The Ministry of Natural Resources is increasing the park's protection zones by 98,000 hectares and plans to introduce best management practices to minimize the impact of roads and other forestry operations.
The ministry plans to pursue a management plan amendment that will include public feedback. No dates have been scheduled.
The Ontario government said logging in the park has been going on since 1893 and provides almost 3,000 jobs. The forestry operations within the park are regulated by the Algonquin Forestry Authority and takes place on less than 1.5 per cent of the park each year.
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