Whenever surveyed about species at risk, a high percentage of people say they care about species at risk and believe they should be protected, and that it is entirely appropriate for government to take action to protect them.
Despite this, our federal government is failing miserably to protect species at risk while B.C. remains one of four provinces (the others are Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island) without species-at-risk legislation.
Species at risk are defined as the plants and animals undergoing such dramatic population declines that, unless effective action is taken, their disappearance is the mostly likely outcome.
This, of course, presumes that someone - usually university- or government-based scientists - are keeping a tally on levels of abundance.
Decreasing populations of species go through a number of stages that are considered to be levels of endangerment. The worst outcome, of course, is extinction. We do have some extinct species in B.C. One of these is the Steller's sea cow, a dugong once found in coastal waters that was hunted to extinction in the late 1700s.
The other categories, in decreasing rank, include extirpated (a species no longer found in B.C. or Canada but found elsewhere) as well as "endangered," "threatened" and "special concern" (formerly called "vulnerable").
To make matters more confusing, the provincial government, which does at least compile a list of species at risk, lumps endangered and threatened species into a so-called "red list" while species of special concern are placed on a "blue list."
In B.C., our local great blue heron population is a unique non-migratory subspecies that appears on the blue list. In Canada, we have more than 500 endangered and threatened species while in the Tri-Cities, we have approximately 150 species at risk in all categories.
Years ago, the main reason for species becoming at risk was typically over-hunting. Now, species are increasingly being placed at risk from a variety of impacts due to the ever-growing human population. This includes outright loss of habitat for some species or other causes such as profound changes in their environment, pollution or the appearance of invasive species. For example, conversion of old-growth forests to younger forests eliminates habitat for spotted owls. In addition, the inadvertent arrival of a new species, the barred owl, has also posed a serious threat to the closely related spotted owls. These days, species at risk usually face multiple threats, all of which can contribute to their population decline.
Since 1973 in the U.S.A., endangered species have been effectively protected by the Endangered Species Act, which applies even to private land. The Canadian government did not pass our Species at Risk Act (SARA) until 2002. What's worse, Canada's legislation is weak because it only applies to federal lands.
This led one prominent environmentalist to proclaim that, if spotted owls wanted protection, they would have to fly to post offices. These days, of course, even post offices are under threat.
In Canada, we actually have two lists of species at risk: One is compiled by scientists and is based on the biological threats faced by species; the other (the SARA list) depends on the government adding the species recommended by scientists.
The federal government has been failing to add species to the SARA list and is also failing to protect or even identify the critical habitat of species on the list. Since 2011, 67 species have been recommended to be added to SARA but no action has been taken by the Stephen Harper government.
A recent analysis of the effectiveness of species-at-risk legislation between the U.S.A. and Canada indicated that, while the American legislation has been impressively effective in improving the status of species at risk, very few such improvements have been north of the border.
On the international scene, the recent record of the Harper government is truly abysmal.
Internationally, species at risk are protected by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). This convention, in effect since 1975, has been signed by most nations - Canada was one of the first signatories. It currently protects about 36,000 species of plants and animals. In March 2014, 76 new species were added to CITES. Countries signatory to the convention are then expected to give these species protection within their borders within 90 days.
Shockingly, the government of Canada voted against adding all of these species to CITES. Never before in the history of CITES has any country voted in this manner. This action has raised international concerns about Canada's continued commitment to CITES.
With blatant disregard for trade in endangered species, the Harper government last year allowed the shipment of whale meat from Iceland to Japan by rail across Canada. This meat, including some from whale species at risk, had been refused at several ports in Europe but apparently raised no such concerns in Canada.
As a Canadian citizen, I am appalled at the recent record of the Harper government to fail to protect species at risk. On the international level, we should all be hanging our heads in shame.
Elaine Golds is a Port Moody environmentalist who is conservation/education chair of the Burke Mountain Naturalists, chair of the Colony Farm Park Association and a founding director of the board of the Port Moody Ecological Society.
