Manitobans’ Views Regarding Boreal Forest Conservation

A February 2015 report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, based on a survey of 1,015 adults, examines public opinion in Manitoba regarding the conservation and development of the province's boreal forest. The findings indicate a strong public preference for conservation over industrial development, with a majority of respondents supporting the protection of more than 50% of the region.

• Manitobans possess limited knowledge of the specific ecological values of the boreal forest. While 58% know that most of the province's boreal forest is intact, only 40% are aware that the Canadian boreal forest contains one-third of the world's unfrozen fresh water, and only 20% know it stores twice as much carbon as the Amazon rainforest.
• There is a high level of trust in conservation organizations and a significant lack of trust in government and industry. 44% of respondents view conservation organizations as trustworthy, while only 11% trust the provincial government, 7% trust the federal government, and 6% trust industry.
• Public priority for activities in northern Manitoba strongly favors environmental protection over resource extraction. 88% of respondents believe providing clean air and water is appropriate and 72% support wildlife conservation. In contrast, only 15% view mining as appropriate and 11% view logging as appropriate.
• A majority of Manitobans support a balance between development and conservation, but lean heavily toward preservation. 62% believe there should be an even balance, yet the average respondent believes 74.9% of the boreal forest should be protected and only 25.1% open to development.
• Manitobans generally believe that the province should exceed the conservation standards set by Ontario and Quebec. 63% of respondents feel that Manitoba should protect more than 50% of its boreal forests.
• There is strong public opposition to resource development without consent, particularly on private and indigenous lands. 97% of respondents disagree that companies should extract resources from private lands without landowner permission, and 88% disagree with development on First Nations' lands without their consent.
• There is significant support for the requirement that companies share resource revenues with indigenous communities, with 78% of respondents agreeing with this policy.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2015). Manitobans’ Views Regarding Boreal Forest Conservation. https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/boreal_forest_survey.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Manitobans’ Views Regarding Boreal Forest Conservation. 2015. https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/boreal_forest_survey.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Manitobans’ Views Regarding Boreal Forest Conservation |date=6 February 2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/boreal_forest_survey.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2015manitobans, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Manitobans’ Views Regarding Boreal Forest Conservation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/boreal_forest_survey.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }