The Extinction Clock is Ticking...
in British Columbia's Rainforests
What do a mysterious large-eyed owl, a speedy, torpedo-like sea bird, and a mammal with dinner plate-sized feet all have in common? These three species — the spotted owl, marbled murrelet, and mountain caribou — all live in southern BC’s low-elevation old growth rainforests.
Many Canadians are surprised to learn that there are coastal rainforests up and down our West Coast and that we have the only inland rainforest in the world. It runs north-south from Prince George to Nelson, BC, more than 800 km from the Pacific Ocean! Canada’s rainforest “ecosystem” (an ecosystem consists of a set of plants, animals and microorganisms all interacting among themselves and with the environment in which they live) began more than 7,000 years ago, when the climate on the coast became wetter and warmer after the last ice age.
This newspaper
is for the young and the young at heart. In it we look at different kinds of rainforest and three animals — the spotted owl, the marbled murrelet and the mountain caribou — that live in rainforests and are in danger of becoming extinct (like the dinosaurs). These endangered species are losing their homes (or habitat) in BC’s old growth forests because the big old trees in them are being cut down too fast.
A Canadian law, the Species At Risk Act (or “SARA”) says that their habitat must be protected. Unfortunately, the BC government is ignoring this law, and BC has virtually no laws of its own to protect endangered species. To save these three species their old growth forest habitat must be protected. BC also needs a clear strong law that protects all endangered species in the province. Some of the words in this newspaper may be a little tricky. Visit the web sites listed and ask for help if you need to.
People used to think that old growth rainforests were not valuable because the old trees in them were close to dying anyway. They called these trees “decadent”, or in a state of decay. Nothing is further from the truth. The trees in old growth rainforests can live for more than 2,000 years because thick bark protects them from small fires and the forest is often too wet to burn down. As the oldest trees die they provide nutrients which help young trees grow so the forest as a whole keeps on living. Old growth rainforests have been growing like this, relatively undisturbed, for thousands of years providing a home for many species of plants and animals.
In the early 1900s, however, people started logging these forests. In BC they are being logged faster than they can grow back. Old growth trees need at least 200 years to mature, but are now being cut down every 100 years, long before they become old growth. This has given the spotted owl, marbled murrelet and mountain caribou another thing in common — they are all “endangered species”. Unless we change the way we log our forests, there won’t be enough old growth forests left for them to live in and they will become extinct in Canada
Scientists say that the spotted owl could become extinct in BC in less than five years and the mountain caribou in less than 20 years. Nobody really knows how long the marbled murrelet has, but some de-forested areas in BC, like the Lower Mainland, could lose their marbled murrelets in just a few years.
Why are these three animals so important? It is because they are “indicator species”, the species in an ecosystem that are especially sensitive to change. When indicator species become endangered, then scientists know that the ecosystem itself is in danger of collapse. If we protect the forests these species need then many of the other animals and plants that live in old growth rainforests will also be saved.
Protecting endangered species is not easy. The forests that these three endangered species need to survive are also the forests most preferred for logging because big old growth trees are worth the most money. As more are logged, the trees become more rare and worth more money. Governments are responsible for protecting endangered species and our environment but the level to which they do that depends on how many people are concerned about these issues and speak out about them. This newspaper provides you with information about three particular endangered species, the problems they face and places to learn more. Read on, do some research, and learn how you and your friends can help protect the habitat of endangered species.
