Greenpeace up in arms about Plan Nord conservation areas

Greenpeace blogger Nicholas Mainville called out Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks Pierre Arcand recently over a promise to protect 600,000 km² of land in the north through the Plan Nord project.

While the province’s Plan Nord project for natural resource development in the north has previously outlined that 50% of the total area developed will be reserved for environmental and biodiversity purposes, according to Mainville, consultation documents for the Plan show that only 12% will see actual protection.

Instead, Mainville said that 38% of these lands will see no permanence in their protection as the ministry will be able to change the status of these areas should industry decide that they would like to develop an area of land for forestry, mineral extraction or other industrial activity. In total, he is claiming that the Quebec government will allow for up to 88% of the north to be developed for industrial use.

For more info: www.greenpeace.org