British Columbia is home to the most biodiversity of any Canadian province or territory, with a vast array of species from the coast to the Rockies.
Not only is B.C. home to the most species at risk in Canada, it also lacks dedicated species at risk legislation. On May 22, the International Day for Biological Diversity, UBC researchers Sarah Otto and Cole Burton discuss British Columbia’s efforts to develop comprehensive species at risk legislation.
Along with colleagues from UBC, Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, and the University of Northern British Columbia, they’ve just released recommendations for designing species at risk legislation in the province.
What’s the current state of species at risk legislation in British Columbia?
For a province with such incredible natural heritage, we’re behind the curve. We have a patchwork of laws that don’t consistently protect all species at risk from all types of human impacts across all types of land use. It’s an approach that hasn’t effectively prevented species declines—BC caribou herds are a prime example. And recent comments from the provincial government have the research community concerned that the province might be backing away from its plans for proposing legislation. Protecting and recovering endangered species is a major challenge, but the good news is we can learn from successes and failures in other jurisdictions.
Continue reading at University of British Columbia (UBC).
Image via Jean-Guy Dallaire/Flickr.