| Too many animals that are at risk of becoming endangered or extinct in Canada aren’t receiving protection under federal legislation, says the David Suzuki Foundation. In a recent report the environmental organization points out that the federal government has refused to list a number of marine and northern animals under the Species-At-Risk Act (SARA). This is despite the fact that the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife (COSEWIC) recommended that the animals be added to the list. COSEWIC is a committee of 30 scientific experts that assesses whether animals are at risk of disappearing from the landscape. SARA was created in 2003 to protect Canadian wildlife and plants from becoming extinct. The government must create recovery plans for animals listed as endangered or threatened, and if animals are listed as being of special concern, the government must create a management plan to prevent them from becoming further threatened. If an animal isn’t listed under the act, the government has no legal obligation to protect it.
The David Suzuki Foundation says 21 species have been denied SARA listing since 2003 and nine others have been referred back to COSEWIC for further assessment. Most of these species are marine or northern animals. For example, COSEWIC has recommended that the Peary caribou, coho salmon and some populations of beluga whales be listed as endangered and grizzly bears, wolverines, barren-ground caribou and polar bears be listed as species of special concern. None of these species has been added to SARA.
When it comes to marine animals, fishery concerns are taking precedence over conservation, says Scott Wallace, co-author of the David Suzuki Foundation report. "The precedent to date when talking about (SARA) is it’s not going to have any relevance to marine species that interfere with commercial fishers," says Wallace.COSEWIC recommended that the porbeagle shark be listed, but the Department of Fisheries and Oceans objected. One of its main reasons was the fact that eight fishermen depended on it for their livelihoods. Wallace says that because SARA only applies to federal land, the marine environment is "actually the most relevant" because Canadian oceans are federal jurisdiction, whereas most land in Canada is controlled by provinces.
The process for listing animals found in northern Canada has been delayed due to consultations with the Nunavut government. The David Suzuki Foundation is concerned that the consultations have no timeline. "If humans somehow make a living off it, or it’s complicated or there’s going to be some kind of conflict involved they’ve decided not to list it," says Wallace. Wallace says the federal government should automatically accept all COSEWIC recommendations. "I don’t think there’s anybody as competent as this particular committee (COSEWIC) to decide the status of species… Certain things should be left to experts," says Wallace.
COSEWIC chair Jeffrey Hutchings says he’s concerned about the length of time it can take for some species to be listed with SARA, even if they eventually end up on the list. "When things are either not listed, or there’s delays because of consultations or species are sent back to COSEWIC for other considerations, then you sort of have to look at the degree to which that’s appropriate and whether that’s going to increase the risk to the species even further because of the timing element," says Hutchings.
Hutchings says when species are listed under SARA the government has to create recovery plans with recovery targets, including specific timelines. He says Atlantic cod still hasn’t been listed under SARA despite the fact that northern cod stocks off Newfoundland have declined by 99 per cent. Because Atlantic cod aren’t listed under SARA the government hasn’t had to create recovery targets. "There is enormous political pressure to have a fishery," says Hutchings, explaining that if the cod were listed "there are more hurdles that have to be jumped and more hoops to go through" before the cod fishery could be re-established.
Hutchings says the fact that the federal government hasn’t listed the porbeagle shark because eight fishermen depend on it financially "really sends a signal that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is just highly reluctant to list anything."
The animal that’s likely of most concern to Albertans is the grizzly. COSEWIC recommended that grizzlies be listed as a species of special concern in 2002. The government decided in 2005 not to include grizzlies on the list pending further consultation with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. Consultation has been completed and a decision from the Minister of Environment is pending.
Hutchings says species are recommended as being of special concern because "there are threats to the species in question that are potentially not being managed appropriately." Governments are required to create a management plan that "acknowledges responsibility to maintain a species at a sustainable level or maintain harvests at a sustainable level." |
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