Filed under: Conservation
2010 is on its way out, and with it goes the officially designated “Year of Biodiversity” (as per the IUCN). 2011 brings with it the international “Year of Forests”. Perhaps there is no better way to protect the global decline in biodiversity than focusing on the homes and habitats that are being lost globally, but especially in British Columbia. BC is famous for its biodiversity. It is also recognized for exporting huge amounts of raw lumber. Caribou are in decline, yet logging of their identified critical old-growth habitat continues. What does Canada stand for? How about BC?
Recently, Canadians have embraced the wild image that is presented of them at home and around the world. A great piece in this months’ Canadian Geographic pointed out that our Olympic mascots were wild icons that have found themselves on the endangered species list, but are any Canadians aware of their current demise? What were we cheering for when wearing our jerseys knit with Canadian flags and bears, caribou, and marmots? Certainly not our true WILD strong and free?
It seem like a slap in the face to conservationists and the wildlife they are working to protect when Canadian species are celebrated on stamps, professional teams, and currency as the government uses their images for promotion while “secretly” destroying the very basic needs that all species have; clean air, water, food, and enough space.
A 1979 BC government document we recently came across states that even selective logging would lead to a decline in caribou in the future. Now the government is saying that we need to kill more wolves, cougars, moose, deer and elk to help caribou recover. How many people know about the lengthened hunting seasons, removal of bag limits, reduction and sterilization programs that the government funds with our own tax dollars? This is where the secrecy comes in, or at least the lack of transparency.
Let us use the wolf as a prime example. What the government DOES show the public is a new five dollar coin featuring a wolf. It will be round, and shiny, and beautiful. But tarnished by the fact that this coin will be worth more than the wild animals’ own natural skin. The royalty for a wolf pelt in BC is $3.38. The BC government has failed the wolf, an intelligent animal with its own intrinsic value, has failed nature as wolves bring benefits to ecosystems by maintaining health and balance, and is failing First Nations peoples and all Canadians by refusing to recognize the cultural significance of this top predator. It has failed caribou by knowingly desecrating every thing that they need to survive, and then pointing a finger of blame at other species. Can we turn this around? BC has an opportunity as well as a responsibility to the rest of the world to maintain intact and functioning ecosystems….globally recognized environmental concerns can be addressed in our province, if we start now! We STILL HAVE biodiversity and large intact forests worth preserving, while other countries around the world are striving to put back these things back together.
BC has no laws or legislation that protect threatened wildlife. This province relies on Canada’s Species at Risk Act, SARA, which can only extend “protection” to federal lands within the province – amounting to about 1% of beautiful British Columbia. Even SARA is repeatedly criticized for doing too little too late, and not having the “teeth” that the American Endangered Species Act has. This needs to change. British Columbians have a lot to lose, and we must begin by recognizing what is at stake. Not only our wild species and spaces, but also our identity as good land stewards; our cultures and natural history; our imagination and creativity celebrated by songs, stories, legends, photos, paintings, drawings, poetry, movies; and our team spirit and pride as animal mascots become only memories.
In January we will be presenting some of our favourite BC wildlife images and discussing the need for an endangered species law in this province. More animals and plants are added to the threatened list each year, but with legislation that puts wildlife and wild places first, perhaps we can stall the ever-hungry predators of resource extraction and commercial recreation. There are some things that money cannot buy. And many of these wonders are found in BC and need people to start caring, not just wearing. Look for an announcement about the details of an upcoming presentation on BC Species at Risk, which will be shared and co-hosted by several of Golden’s local conservation groups.
By Sadie Parr
