CHAPTER II 
THE VALUE OF WILD LIFE TO THE NATION 
In order to secure the interest and active support of the 
people of Canada in the conservation of our wild life, it is 
necessary at the outset to indicate as clearly as possible 
the economic significance of such measures as are now being 
taken and of those that should be adopted with a view to 
the preservation of our native animals. A consideration of 
this aspect is not rendered necessary by any lack of appre- 
ciation on the part of Canadians generally as to their moral 
obligations in this matter or because reasons of sentiment 
carry no weight. It is rendered necessary largely on ac- 
count of the rapid opening up and development of the coun- 
try, and because such development comes into direct con- 
flict with the ability of many important forms of our wild 
life to survive. 
Utilization of Non-Agricultural Lands.—The basic indus- 
try of Canada is agriculture, and the extension of this in- 
dustry involves the. bringing under cultivation of new areas 
of land which were formerly the home of our wild life. 
Therefore, in order to justify on economic grounds the con- 
servation of our wild life its economic value as compared 
with agriculture in the first place must be set forth. 
Not all lands are suitable for agriculture. Even in the 
best agricultural sections of the country areas unsuited to 
agriculture occur. In some cases, as will be shown later, 
such areas have been set apart as forest reserves; in other 
cases a struggling population endeavours to eke out a 
meagre existence on the sparse products of the unfertile 
soil. The problem of the best method of dealing with such 
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