Ontario's government recently announced great news for many of North American's breeding birds. Premier Dalton McGuinty led the Ontario Government in committing to protect a huge swath Canada's Boreal Forest – one the planet's largest remaining intact forest ecosystems. This landmark conservation decision protects more than 225,000 square kilometers (approximately 86,900 square miles) – or 55 million acres – of Canada’s Boreal Forest.

The Boreal Forest provides habitat for more than 300 breeding bird species, along with a large diversity of other wildlife including caribou, bears, and wolves. An estimated 70% of all Yellow-rumped Warblers breed in the Boreal Forest. This vast forest also plays an important role in absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and thus reducing the impacts of climate change. Unfortunately, the Boreal Forest faces growing threats from mining, logging, and drilling.

This fantastic decision by the Ontario Government was in response the work of organizations like the Boreal Songbird Initiative and a letter sent to the Canadian government by 1500 scientists advocating for protection of 50% of the Boreal Forest. It is a great step forward in the fight to save birds, protect biodiversity, and reduce climate change.

Photo © William C. Webb