Weak laws = 441 species at risk!
Grizzly in its habitat, Pacific orcas, Yellow-breasted chat, Swift fox, Pacific tree frog Photo credit:Top John Marriot, Photos L to R: Orcas -Joanne Huemoeller, Yellow-breasted chat - Robert McCaw, Swift fox - Wayne Lynch, Pacific tree frog - Jacqueline Windh
Canada's Endangered Species
Canada is renowned as a country of glorious wilderness. From the Garry oak meadows of Vancouver Island, across the badlands of Saskatchewan, up to Baffin Island and all the way to the rocky shores of Newfoundland, Canada is home to an amazing diversity of wild spaces boasting over 200 terrestrial and 18 marine ecoregions.
These different regions, with their unique ecological characteristics, are also home to an astounding variety of species. Hiking in the oldgrowth rainforests of Chilliwack, British Columbia, if you are lucky you may still hear the lonely hoot of the Northern spotted owl; traveling through the mixed grass prairies of Saskatchewan you could be fortunate enough to glimpse the elusive swift fox; and sightseeing off the shores of New Brunswick, if you look really closely, you might be able to spot a right whale cresting in the blue horizon.
These natural wonders are part of what makes Canada the envy of the world, and they are an essential part of our environmental legacy, a legacy that we want to pass on to our children and our children’s children. Unfortunately, however, the Northern spotted owl, the swift fox and the mighty right whale are among the most endangered of Canada’s 441 species at risk (7).
Although Canada has federal endangered species legislation, our newly minted Species at Risk Act (SARA), which was passed into legislation in June 2003, will do little to protect Canada’s endangered species. SARA is a paper tiger, weaker than the endangered species legislation of either Mexico or the United States. This is particularly troubling because Canada won international accolades in 1992 the being the first industrialized country to ratify the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity in which they promised a robust law protecting endangered species and their habitat in Canada.
However, instead of strong language and reliable safeguards, SARA relies on voluntary measures, political discretion and corporate goodwill. SARA is also extremely limited in its scope, applying only to species that fall within federal jurisdiction, which in British Columbia, a province with no provincial endangered species legislation, would apply to just 1% of the land base (8). Even renowned Professor of Ecology, David Schindler, commented that the lack of comprehensive habitat protection made Canada look like a “third world country” (9).
"The living world is disappearing before our eyes." Professor Peter Crane, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, UK
SARA is not only weak, it is also deeply misleading because it gives the erroneous perception that the federal government is taking steps to protect our species at risk across Canada. Currently, for instance, there are “recovery” strategies happening across the country for federally listed endangered and threatened species (10). However, many of the recovery plans, which are supposed to be based on the biological needs of the species, have corporate logging and mining representatives sitting at the table negotiating with government officials which “recovery” actions should take place.
The lack of strong and effective federal endangered species legislation means that the vast majority of species at risk in Canada will have to rely on a patchwork of provincial legislation to survive, and although all provinces and territories committed to the National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in 1996, currently only six provinces; Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland/Labrador, Ontario and Québec, have stand alone endangered species legislation (11).
Moreover, the level of provincial endangered species protection varies dramatically with stronger provisions such as habitat protection, listing of endangered species, and implementation of recovery plans often being discretionary. In Ontario, 75% of species listed as being nationally threatened do not receive protection. And, in British Columbia, a province with the most biodiversity in Canada, the provincial Liberal government recently announced that they support “industry-led” endangered species recovery plans (12).
The dependence on voluntary measures to protect Canada’s species at risk is a broken promise to the over 90% of Canadians, who want strong and effective endangered species legislation (13). Voluntary measures should definitely be a component of endangered species legislation, but if and when voluntary measures fail it is essential to have strong safeguards in place to protect Canada’s species at risk.
What is an ecoregion?
An ecoregion is “a relatively large area of land or water that harbours a characteristic set of species, communities, dynamics and environmental conditions.” (5). For instance the coast of British Columbia, known as the Pacific Maritime ecozone, has 14 separate ecoregions, which include the Lower Mainland, Cascade Ranges and Northern Coastal Mountains (6).
