42名生物學和植物學家簽訂一份請願書，呼籲加拿大聯邦與卑詩省當局，全力保護棲息著瀕危北美馴鹿的老熟林 (old growth forest)。科學家提出警告，除非能夠停止於這些森林砍伐，否則此物種將永遠消失。
這些森林大部份位於卑詩省的內濕帶（Interior Wet Belt ），棲息了世界上98%殘存的北美馴鹿，目前已經減少到2,000頭以下。
來自加拿大、美國、和南非的科學家表示，保護古森林以拯救北美馴鹿（學名Rangifer tarandus）應該視為第一優先的保育計劃。此外，受到保護的老熟林也將對拯救許多其他瀕絕物種有所幫助，並有助於減少空氣中的二氧化碳，減緩全球暖化現象。
這份請願書提交的對象，係一項依據加國瀕危生物法所啟動的復育計畫，該復育計畫由聯邦與省級政府聯合進行，預計在6月時公佈於聯邦政府的瀕危生物公報當中。
北美馴鹿的出沒圍範東從麥肯鍚(Mackenzie)省北邊，一直到庫特尼山脈(Kootenay Mountains)，直到美國境內。牠們的主食為地衣，而地衣在老熟林長得較好，因此北美馴鹿就分佈在這些老熟林當中。
曾獲獎的新丹佛佛哈拉（Valhalla）荒野協會，對部長提出警告，100頭瀕危馴鹿的最後棲息地－塞爾扣克山脈至今仍持續開放伐木。他們建議儘管塞爾扣克馴鹿公園已經被徹底砍伐，仍應進行棲地的恢復工作。
Forty-two biologists and botanists have signed a petition urging the governments of British Columbia and Canada to fully protect old growth forest across the range of the endangered mountain caribou. Unless logging of these forests stops, the species will disappear, the scientists warn.
Most of these forests are in the Interior Wet Belt of British Columbia, which is inhabited by 98 percent of the world surviving mountain caribou, now reduced to fewer than 2,000 animals.
The scientists, from Canada, the United States, and South Africa, say that protecting old growth forests should be the first priority of any recovery plan to save the mountain caribou, Rangifer tarandus.
The protected old growth will also help save many other endangered species, as well as help reduce global warming by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the scientists say.
The scientists have submitted the petition to a joint federal-provincial recovery process under Canada's Species at Risk Act. By law, the recovery plan must be posted on the federal government's Species at Risk registry in June.
Mountain caribou are found in the east of the province from as far north as Mackenzie down through the Kootenay Mountains and into the United States. Caribou depend on old growth forests because they feed primarily on lichens that grow best on the older trees.
The Valhalla Wilderness Society, based in New Denver, has some input for the minister. The award-winning group warns that the last remaining habitat for a herd of 100 endangered mountain caribou in the Central Selkirk Mountains is open for continued logging this year.
The society has proposed the Selkirk Mountain Caribou Park for the rehabilitation of habitat that has already been clearcut.
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
