By Scott Hayes \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Of the many major environmental issues that headlined news stories during 2023, it’s easy for Kecia Kerr to choose the biggest: wildfires. “In addition to having huge impacts on communities and human populations, they of course have had big impacts on wildlife and habitat for wildlife as well,” said the executive director at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). CPAWS is a national charity dedicated to the protection of public land, freshwater and ocean areas. Its analysts reviewed the wildfires that afflicted Wood Buffalo National Park last year. Approximately 505,000 ha of the total of the 44,741 sq km park’s area was burned. “The amount burned is actually probably bigger than these numbers at this point,” Kerr said. She added that three… <\/p>\n
By Scott Hayes \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Of the many major environmental issues that headlined news stories during 2023, it’s easy for Kecia Kerr to choose the biggest: wildfires. “In addition to having huge impacts on communities and human populations, they of course have had big impacts on wildlife and habitat for wildlife as well,” said the executive director at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). CPAWS is a national charity dedicated to the protection of public land, freshwater and ocean areas. Its analysts reviewed the wildfires that afflicted Wood Buffalo National Park last year. Approximately 505,000 ha of the total of the 44,741 sq km park’s area was burned. “The amount burned is actually probably bigger than these numbers at this point,” Kerr said. She added that three... <\/p>\n