Jane Goodall urges Canadian business leaders to protect iconic species by
changing business practices

    
    "The quest for commercial gain has led to the worldwide destruction of
    species habitat like that for chimpanzees and other great apes, and for
    the woodland caribou of Ontario"
    

TORONTO , Sept. 25 /CNW/ - Dr. Jane Goodall , speaking today at a luncheon attended by some of Canada's biggest names in publishing and printing, expressed her concern for the world's dwindling species and the need to act quickly to protect iconic animals such as chimpanzees, bears, and caribou. Dr. Goodall , in Toronto to promote her new book, joined leading Canadian environmental organization Canopy to enjoin some of Canada's private sector heavy hitters, including Phillip Crawley , CEO of the Globe and Mail and Joel Silver , President of Indigo Books & Music, to take action for wildlife and habitat conservation both here in Ontario as well as around the world.

"The quest for commercial gain has led to the worldwide destruction of species habitat like that for chimpanzees and other great apes, and for the woodland caribou of Ontario," said Dr. Goodall . "Glimmers of hope can be found in those business leaders who are making meaningful conservation decisions as they recognize that we are all inextricably connected to the complex web of life on earth."

Dr. Goodall 's newly released book Hope for Animals and their World is an account of species brought back from the brink of extinction such as the Vancouver Island Marmot, whose populations are being regenerated through careful work. She was speaking at a business luncheon hosted by Canopy, a NGO dedicated to reducing the forest and climate footprints of large print and publishing companies and best known for greening the Harry Potter series worldwide. Excerpts of Dr Goodall's speech will be featured on Canopy's website www.canopyplanet.org.

"With Ontario failing to deliver on its long promised caribou recovery strategy, we're having to ask commercial paper consumers to take even greater steps to help conserve remaining caribou habitat," said Nicole Rycroft , executive director of Canopy. "Caribou cannot afford to wait any longer. The Province must deliver on its commitment to protect this species from extinction."

She added that scientists have grave concerns about the Ontario government's outdated structure of the recovery plan, which currently fails to adequately address the need for large intact habitat protection. Seven out of nine caribou ranges in Ontario have been disturbed to such an extent that they are unlikely be able to sustain caribou. Woodland caribou have lost half of their historic range within Canada and now are primarily found in Ontario and Quebec . 40 out of 57 designated woodland caribou herds in Canada's Boreal forests have less than a 50% chance of surviving the century at current rates of decline.

The conservation of woodland caribou will be one of the issues discussed by a working group at the forum of top business leaders. Dr Goodall was speaking to the group and helped lead discussions about ongoing priorities. Dr Goodall is the Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a UN Messenger of Peace. JGI is a global non-profit organization that supports wildlife research, education and conservation, with the primary goal of ensuring the survival of great ape populations through community-centred conservation activities in Africa and educating a new generation of young people through Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots. (www.janegoodall.ca).

For further information: Nicole Rycroft, Canopy, Executive Director, [phone]