Species at Risk Act deserves federal protection now

About now, in the grasslands of Alberta and Saskatchewan, the last of Canada’s greater sage grouse are performing an extraordinary mating ritual. On earthen dance-floors known as leks many of the 50 or so remaining males will strut about, fanning their pointy tail-feathers, puffing out their chests and burping. The champion will mate with almost all of the females; the contenders will wait for another year.

If they survive, that is. The sage grouse, once common across the Prairies, is now at risk of extinction in Canada, owing to habitat destruction by the oil and gas industry, climate change and other factors. Almost 90 per cent of its Canadian population died off between 1988 and 2006 and at last count as few as 13 male birds remained in Alberta, 42 males in Saskatchewan.

The plight of the grouse is common now. Scientists believe that our planet is in the midst of an extinction crisis, and the rate of species extinction is higher than it has been since the dinosaurs died off en masse, 65 million years ago. A 2005 report by the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council found that 30 per cent of the more than 5,000 species native to Canada it examined are at risk.

Woodland caribou — on our quarters — Steller’s sea lions, grizzly bears, burrowing owls, piping plovers, humpback whales, Ord’s kangaroo rat, wood turtles and the Gulf of St. Lawrence aster are just some on an endangered list that is growing by the day. These are not just wonderful animals and plants; they are a key part of Canada’s heritage and natural capital.

When ecosystems are intact, they regulate our climate, pollinate our food crops and enrich our soil, providing us with the clean air, water and land we all need to survive. These natural systems are important drivers of Canada’s economy, supporting vital industries like forestry, fishing and tourism; species are the engine that keeps these natural systems running.

Most shocking, however, is that the Canadian government may be about to weaken the only federal legislation that focuses on protecting our most vulnerable plants and animals, the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

The result of years of hard work by environmental groups, scientists, representatives of industry and civil servants, the act was passed by Parliament in 2002 and came into force in 2004. It protects species and their habitat on federal lands, and provides a critical safety net for endangered species, wherever they live in Canada.

So, under SARA, if a province such as Alberta fails to protect the sage grouse, and the minister of environment is “of the opinion that the species faces imminent threats to its survival or recovery” he must recommend to cabinet that it issue an emergency order to protect the species.

The government, however, has failed to issue a protection order for sage grouse, so in February conservation groups took the minister to Federal Court. But, as we wait for the ruling, the problem with SARA is clear: successive governments have failed to implement it fully.

Many leaders of industry believe that SARA is an important law, and are working with environmental groups to advise the government on its implementation. One proposal is for the federal government to fully implement the provisions in the act that allow for flexible approaches to stewardship and incentives to landowners who help recover species.

Many fear, however, that the federal government is poised to weaken SARA. Last year, the feds gutted the Fisheries Act, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, and the Navigable Waters Protection Act. Environment Minister Peter Kent has said publicly that the government plans to review SARA. And in the last two months, Conservative members of the House of Commons standing committee on the environment have been asking pointed questions about the act.

Canadians concerned about the erosion of this country’s natural legacy are on full alert. In the week beginning May 22, the United Nations International Day of Biological Diversity, thousands began writing to the environment minister supporting a strong federal SARA and calling for its full implementation.

What better time for the government to do the right thing — commit to SARA? The protection of other species — like the sage grouse — is not just a reflection of the esthetic or spiritual role other species play for us. We have become the dominant species on the planet and because of our powerful technologies and endless demands from nature, we are undermining the very life-support systems of clean air, water and soil on which we depend. As the highest animals on the food chain, we are the most vulnerable to the consequences of disrupting that chain.

Original Article
Source: thestar.com
Author: David Suzuki