Dr. Jasper Lament is CEO of the Nature Trust of British Columbia.
When I first started studying biology in university, the slender-billed curlew – a beautiful shorebird species – was still travelling the flyways of mainland Europe. Now it’s gone. It’s likely extinct.
This is a call to action. We don’t want to lose one more bird species in Canada; almost three billion birds have already been lost in North America since 1970. But biodiversity declines are not limited to birds. It is estimated that one in five species in Canada is at risk of being lost as a result of multiple factors, including climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation due to development and human activity, pollution and more.
But the problem goes beyond habitat loss: According to a recent audit, Canada’s species assessment backlog is so extreme that, at the current pace, it would take 30 years to catch up with assessments for more than 1,000 vulnerable species. Species assessments are critical as they help us determine which wildlife species are at risk of decline or are in decline before they approach extinction. For some species, these assessments could determine whether or not they survive.
While we must address the backlog, we cannot wait three decades for assessments to catch up and for us to take action to mitigate biodiversity loss. We already have the data, the will, the tools, the ability and a proven track record of success to protect species in peril right now by protecting the land they call home. And we know how to make our efforts go further: by learning from mistakes like the loss of the slender-billed curlew and targeting biodiversity hot spots in Canada.
I live and work in British Columbia, which is Canada’s most biodiverse province. But there is a wealth of biodiversity across the country. They include grasslands, such as the Antelope-brush ecosystems in the South Okanagan, old-growth forests, such as the Coastal Douglas-fir forest in British Columbia, and the Carolinian zone in Ontario.
Targeting such areas is strategic conservation, which can protect at-risk species while also contributing to climate-change mitigation. And it works.
Targeting biodiversity hot spots also makes sense, given the restraints of our economy. Most species live in the same places that people like to live, but the cost of buying land there to protect species and their homes continues to escalate – and with it, the conservation challenge. Traditionally, the key measure of success for programs like the Natural Heritage Conservation Program has been the number of hectares or acres protected, and while acres are important, this approach doesn’t capture the whole picture. Every acre is not equal for biodiversity. We must double down on land acquisition and restoration in targeted hot spots to truly protect Canada’s biodiversity.
Protection and restoration of the Kw’a’luxw (Englishman) River and watershed on Vancouver Island is a good example of a determined and concentrated conservation effort in a Canadian biodiversity hot spot. The northern goshawk, Townsend’s big-eared bat, and the red-legged frog are just three at-risk species known to live here. This story began more than 40 years ago; since 1971, the Nature Trust of British Columbia has purchased, restored and managed land with critical habitats for species that depend on them, working with our partners to protect more than 500 conservation areas and more than 180,000 acres. More recently, we have taken strides in purchasing and protecting the lower river and estuary, working in close collaboration with the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation on restoration and stewardship. Now, much of this culturally and ecologically important river corridor remains protected for future generations.
There’s still more work to be done. We know we need to strengthen this lifeline for land, wildlife and people, and we know we can’t wait for species risk assessments. The human impact on this watershed is intense, and we are missing out on conservation opportunities due to ever-higher land costs.
Strategic, science-backed conservation efforts today can halt species declines and restore vital ecosystems for tomorrow. We must continue to drive resources into conservation science and accelerate species assessments. We cannot allow the species assessment backlog to prevent us from acting now.
To save imperilled species at risk and the places they call home, we can’t wait for species assessments to catch up. We can and must purchase and protect critical habitats right now.