Wildsight and other Canadian environmental groups are suing the federal government. Their goal? To push for the mapping of critical habitat for the southern mountain caribou, which is a key species in the Revelstoke area.
Ecojustice Canada is leading the charge for Wildsight, the Wilderness Committee, and Stand.earth. They’ve taken legal action against Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature, Julie Dabrusin, hoping to pinpoint essential areas to protect this at-risk species.
Back in 2003, southern mountain caribou were classified as federally threatened. At that time, the environment minister, David Anderson, was supposed to finalize recovery strategies by 2007. These strategies were critical for conservation efforts in the habitats of these caribou across the Columbia Mountains. But that deadline was missed, prompting earlier lawsuits in 2013 due to the government’s “unlawful delay.”
In 2014, then minister Leona Aglukkaq did release a recovery strategy, but critical habitat was only partially mapped. She promised to complete the mapping by December, but over a decade later, the work remains unfinished. Eddie Petryshen, a conservation specialist with Wildsight, points out that people are still waiting for action. “The federal government isn’t following their own laws,” he said. “This is the first step to protect that habitat.”
Environment Canada confirmed that mapping is ongoing but can’t provide more details due to the ongoing litigation. Petryshen emphasizes that these caribou, which evolved from the last ice age, symbolize the health of old-growth forest ecosystems. Their decline signals deeper environmental issues.
Factors like climate change, logging, and increased predation contribute to their struggles. Petryshen notes that habitat loss and fragmentation have intensified. Meanwhile, while B.C. has mapped its own critical caribou habitat as of 2021, population numbers are alarming.
Recent estimates from 2023 show there may be as few as 219 caribou in the Columbia North herd, a drastic decline from earlier years. The Central Selkirks herd is down to just 27, and the Frisby-Boulder herd has dwindled to a mere eight. The situation is dire, given that not enough breeding females remain to ensure a sustainable population.
Under the Species at Risk Act, the southern mountain caribou are included in three conservation agreements with the B.C. government and various First Nations. These agreements aim to protect habitats and help some populations grow through various methods, such as maternity pens and predator management. For instance, B.C. recently invested $173,600 to control wolf populations, recognizing that high predation rates put caribou at risk.
A recent study highlights the challenges ahead. It suggests that without habitat conservation, predator control will be necessary indefinitely to prevent the extinction of southern mountain caribou. However, as habitats continue to disappear, these predator management efforts may become less effective and sustainable.
Looking ahead, Petryshen noted that while the court case could take months to unfold, it’s essential for the habitat mapping to be completed for accountability and to support recovery efforts.
For more insights into wildlife protection efforts, you can check out credible sources like the Government of Canada’s Species at Risk Act.
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Caribou,Conservation,Environment
