Waiting for the Ark: The Biodiversity Crisis in British Columbia, Canada and the Need for a Strong Endangered Species Law

Published by: Academic journal
Authored by: Faisal Moola, Devon Page, Michelle Connolly, Lindsay Coulter
Partners: Sierra Legal
Published in: Biodiversity

Biodiversity, Oceans and fresh water species at risk, British Columbia, policy and regulation, conservation, caribou, turtles, owls

This paper presents an assessment of the status of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity in British Columbia, Canada, based on an analysis of conservation ranks produced by the provincial government’s Conservation Data Center. High levels of species endangerment exist across all major wildlife groups in the province, including the extinction or extirpation of many species to date, and the imminent threat of further eliminations.

Yet, less than five per cent of known species and subspecies at risk get any type of “protection” under B.C. laws. None receive essential habitat protection. Given the magnitude of the biodiversity crisis in B.C. and the inadequacy of the current policy response, we argue that a strong endangered species law is critically needed in the province. Such a law would provide the legal means for the effective protection and recovery of threatened and endangered species in B.C., and thereby fulfill the province’s moral, national and international responsibilities for the conservation of its irreplaceable natural heritage.