<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Canada's ambassador to the European Union has voiced concern with proposed EU rules to curb deforestation.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A November letter from Ailish Campbell said the rules add "burdensome" requirements and will hurt trade between Canada and the EU.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The EU regulation aims to limit the trade of products linked to deforestation worldwide.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Climate campaigners have called Canada's resistance to the rules "shocking".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the 17 November letter obtained by the BBC, Ms Campbell says Canada supports the objectives of the proposed deforestation regulation, but is "greatly concerned" that some elements will cause trade barriers for Canadian exporters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She asks for several revisions to the regulation, including providing a delay and a clearer definition for what falls under forest "degradation" - a practice that climate advocates say is widely seen in Canada.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Deforestation is the permanent loss of a forest, for example, replacing it with agricultural alternatives, such as coffee or soybeans.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The proposed EU legislation would also cover forest degradation, which is when the forest ecosystem is eroded. Among the main causes are climate change and illegal or unsustainable logging.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Forest degradation can have a significant impact on things like biodiversity and climate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Climate campaigners have called the ambassador's letter "outrageous" because of Canada's public commitments to environmental policies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It's really shocking that [Canada is] resisting these kinds of measures in Europe to protect the world's remaining forests," said Shane Moffatt, head of Food and Nature at Greenpeace Canada.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">EU member states are currently negotiating the final text of the legislation, which was passed with strong support at the EU parliament in September.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The EU Deforestation Regulation would force companies and trade partners to verify that goods being sold to the 27-nation bloc are "deforestation-free".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ms Campbell did defend Canada's record on deforestation, calling the country a "world leader on forest management", with an annual deforestation rate of 0.02%.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While those rates are low, Mr Moffatt said the letter ignored the higher rates of forest degradation and the subsequent impact on wildlife.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It has specifically affected the caribou population, which has drastically dwindled in recent years, Mighty Earth CEO Glenn Hurowitz told the BBC.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Canadian forestry practices have been gaining more attention from environmentalists in recent years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In March, a group of more than 90 scientists penned an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlining concerns about Canada's rate of industrial logging in old-growth forests, which they said had "unique and irreplaceable ecological values".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In response to questions from the BBC, the federal government said they were "undertaking a range of initiatives to protect and restore nature in Canada" including a pledge to plant two billion trees over 10 years, starting in 2021. BBC</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>