Wildsight, along with other environmental groups in Canada, is taking legal action against the federal government for delays in mapping critical habitat needed to protect the southern mountain caribou. This species serves as an important environmental indicator for the Revelstoke region.
Ecojustice Canada is representing Wildsight, the Wilderness Committee, and Stand.earth in the case against Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin. Their goal is to establish the vital areas necessary for the caribou’s recovery.
In 2003, southern mountain caribou were designated as federally threatened. Then, Environment Minister David Anderson was required to create recovery strategies by 2007. This would have initiated protection efforts in habitats crucial for their survival. However, the government failed to meet this deadline, leading Wildsight and the Wilderness Committee to file a judicial review in 2013 over what they called an “unlawful delay.”
In June 2014, then-Minister Leona Aglukkaq released a partial recovery strategy but committed to completing the habitat mapping by December of that year. Eleven years later, Wildsight conservation specialist Eddie Petryshen said the public is still waiting for this to be finalized. “The federal government isn’t following their own laws,” he noted, emphasizing this as the first step toward habitat protection.
Amélie Desmarais, a spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change Canada, confirmed that mapping is in progress but declined to comment further due to ongoing litigation.
The southern mountain caribou, which evolved from the last ice age, can survive in up to three meters of snow and are now closely linked to cedar-hemlock forest ecosystems. According to Petryshen, their decline is alarming and symbolizes deeper environmental issues. He linked habitat loss, climate change, logging, and increasing predation as significant threats.
Despite the slow collaboration between the federal and provincial governments, British Columbia mapped its critical caribou habitat in 2021. Still, population estimates show concerning declines. In 2023, there were about 219 southern mountain caribou in the Columbia North herd, although that number might have dropped into the 160s. For the Central Selkirks herd, only 27 caribou remain, and the Frisby-Boulder herd near Revelstoke has plummeted to an estimated eight.
Under federal regulations, southern mountain caribou are part of three conservation agreements involving the B.C. government and several First Nations. Desmarais indicated that some populations are growing due to measures like maternity pens and predator management. However, the situation remains critical, especially in the Central Selkirks, where the population is close to being functionally extinct.
In 2023, B.C. spent a substantial amount on predator control measures, which included culling wolves to reduce the predation rate on caribou. While there has been some stabilization in certain herds, the long-term outlook remains concerning.
A recent study highlighted that ongoing habitat loss makes effective predator control increasingly challenging. Without sustainable habitat conservation, predator management alone may not save the southern mountain caribou from extinction.
As Ecojustice prepares for court, Petryshen insists on the urgency of defining the critical habitat. He believes accountability is essential to improve the chances for these vulnerable caribou.
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Caribou,Conservation,Environment
