WCS Canada’s science has been opening eyes (and ears) from Parliament Hill to the Arctic this year. Our focus on the need for big picture thinking – and planning – has helped to drive the federal government to strengthen environmental legislation, drawn attention to the opportunity to protect intact ecosystems from the mountains of Alberta to the Far North of Ontario, and raised awareness of the need for better science to help ensure the survival of species at risk.
An important recent development was the introduction of the new federal Impact Assessment Act. Replacing the old and inadequate Environmental Assessment Act was a good idea, however the government’s new approach still leaves a lot to be desired. While smartly embracing the need for better big picture planning through mechanisms such as regional and strategic assessments, the draft legislation drops the ball by making these largely optional exercises with no real pathway for using the results to shape development plans. That’s why eight major environmental organizations, including WCS Canada, joined together to give the government a C- on the new act and why we will continue pushing hard for improvements.
For places like Ontario’s Far North, region-wide planning prior to development is the only way to address cumulative impacts like the ones outlined in our recent report on freshwater fish. Freshwater fish are culturally and economically important to the Indigenous people who live in the region (and others) and are an important indicator of ecosystem health. That’s why WCS Canada stepped in in the absence of government research to lead a study on what the combination of climate change and new dams, roads and mines could mean for fish in this region. By combining “boots on the ground” research with sophisticated computer modelling of these landscapes, we were able to project the impacts that new development and climate change would have on the region. The results are worrisome and highlight how we need to be much more proactive in our planning for ecosystem protection in these changing times.
A proactive approach is especially necessary in one of the most vulnerable Canadian regions, the Arctic. In the Arctic, we have been speaking out on behalf of whales, seals and other marine animals, such as arctic cod, that could soon see one of the quietest places on Earth become a whole lot noisier. With sea ice rapidly retreating across the Arctic, ship traffic and natural background noise levels will increase. Our innovative research on the Arctic soundscape is being discussed among northern communities as well as in the scientific community – now we need to get it heard in Ottawa.
In Alberta, our report on the Bighorn Backcountry has highlighted the importance of protecting these lands nestled next to Banff and Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies. Rugged peaks, broad river valleys, and foothill boreal forests provide diverse habitat for many species – including grizzly bears, bighorn sheep, wolverine, and bull trout. It is also a vital link in the larger vision of maintaining connectivity throughout the Yellowstone-to-Yukon landscape. Encompassing the headwaters of the mighty North Saskatchewan River and its tributaries, this “blue canopy” is a critical source of clean, cold water for millions of people in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Fortunately, our recommendation for a Wildland Provincial Park for this remote area is resonating with many residents and government leaders in Alberta.
Putting science at the centre of decision-making is what we do. We tromp through bogs, climb over mountains, and wind through thick forests to collect invaluable information about wild species and spaces. We then use that knowledge to paint a picture of what is at stake – and what needs to be done – to keep Canada wild. Your support helps us enormously as We Stand for Wildlife.
Justina Ray
President and Senior Scientist
"Protecting large wild areas like Alberta's Bighorn Backcountry can give species room to adapt to climate change.
The idea of conserving a critical wildlife corridor along the spine of the Rockies is the kind of big picture thinking WCS Canada embraces. We understand that if we want to keep species like grizzly bears, wolves, and caribou thriving in a wild landscape, they need room to move, especially in the face of a rapidly changing climate. That’s why we have been working hard to protect two key pieces of this corridor – the Bighorn Backcountry in Alberta and the Peel Watershed in Yukon.
Our plan for protecting the Bighorn, a rugged mountain landscape nestled next to Banff and Jasper National Parks, has been well received in Alberta. As an area that is a critically important source of water for millions of Albertans, there is little doubt about the economic importance of protecting this slice of mountain heaven, but it is equally valuable ecologically. The Bighorn contains some of the best remaining habitat in southern Alberta for species such as wolverine, grizzly bears, bighorn sheep and cutthroat trout thanks to its remote and roadless habitat, cold water streams, and deep river valleys. We are optimistic that the Alberta government will use the scientific research developed by WCS Canada Senior Scientist Dr. John Weaver to add another jewel to the province’s crown of mountain parks.
Further north, a legal battle has been in full swing over protection of the pristine Peel Watershed in Yukon. WCS Canada Scientist Dr Don Reid played a central role in developing recommendations for the protection of this ecologically diverse and jaw-droppingly beautiful area. However, when the territorial government tried to reverse a widely supported plan to protect 80% of the area, First Nations and conservation groups fought back. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in early December 2017 that the previous government’s actions had been unacceptable. The recently elected Yukon government says it will restore the strong protection in the original recommended land-use plan in cooperation with First Nations.
That’s a great step forward because as research by WCS scientist Hilary Cooke makes clear, we need to protect big wild areas if we want to protect wildlife. Dr Cooke spent months analyzing the thousands of watershed catchment areas that make up the Yukon’s Boreal Mountains region looking for the largest most intact areas that can form the building blocks of a robust conservation lands network in the territory. Using cutting-edge computer modelling she mapped out a number of options for creating such a network and ensuring a wild future for Yukon. Dr Cooke explained the importance of this work in an interview with CBC radio last spring. It’s all part of the work of bringing big conservation visions to life on the ground.
WCS Canada researchers are in the field collecting the information we need to better conserve wild places and wildlife.
In the Western Arctic, WCS Canada scientists have been putting an ear to the ocean to understand what increasingly ice-free waters will mean for the Arctic soundscape. Zipping out to sea in zodiacs to deploy acoustic recorders, the team is trying to understand how increased ship noise, along with an increase in natural background noise from waves and wind, will affect communications for marine mammals, such as Arctic whales and seals. Their careful listening has demonstrated that noise threats are real, with ship noise being audible as much as 100 kilometres away. The research has been published in three scientific publications as well as featured in a series called “Above the 66th”, in The Biologist in a story titled “Breach of the Peace”, as well as on our own Muddy Boots blog. We are now working to communicate to government the need to take steps to protect Arctic marine mammals, such as shifting shipping lanes, slowing ships, and requiring on-board spotters during migration periods.
Sound is a way to listen in on what is happening in ecosystems and a tool we are increasingly using to monitor how wild species are faring.
Right now, there is a big blind spot in many of our efforts to ensure that wildlife and wild places remain healthy in the face of climate change and new developments. In far too many places, no one is actively monitoring changes. And if no one is watching, how do we know what the impacts of new developments such as roads and mines really are? How will we understand how wolverines are responding to climate change, fish to new dams, or caribou to clearcuts?
To shed a little light on this issue, WCS Canada has been reaching out to the people who often know the land best – First Nations – to talk about developing Community Based Monitoring (CBM) efforts. As people who regularly travel across wild landscapes, Indigenous peoples are well positioned to describe the changes they see and gather information about wildlife populations or health, changes to the land and social changes brought about by new roads, climate change or other new developments.
To support these outreach efforts, we have produced a new report, Watching, Listening, and Learning to Understand Change that discusses best practices and highlights CBM programs from around the world. Our Ontario Landscape Lead, Cheryl Chetkiewicz explains the value of CBM on our Muddy Boots blog.
First Nations are well positioned to track what is happening within their traditional territories, including changes brought about by development.
Inidgineous people's connection to the land allows them to quickly see changes.
"We need to understand where bats are in order to deploy measures to help them survive WNS.
WCS Canada is investigating whether bats could benefit from the same probiotic approach that has taken foods like yogurt by storm. The idea is relatively simple. Bats are dying by the millions due to a fungal disease called White-nose syndrome (WNS). If “good bacteria” to fight the WNS fungus could be applied to bats, it might be possible to reverse at least some of the devastation being caused by the disease. WCS Canada bat researcher Dr Cori Lausen is working with colleagues at Thompson Rivers University in B.C. and McMaster University in Ontario on developing such a probiotic treatment, which could slow the growth of the fungus that is wreaking havoc on bat colonies in eastern North America.
Now that the WNS-infected bats have been found in Washington State, researchers believe it is only a matter of time until the disease appears in B.C. and Alberta. Protecting bats in the West is urgent, but we know from extensive field research that western bats do not gather in large colonies to hibernate during the winter like eastern bats do, so simply spraying colonies with a probiotic treatment is not an option. This is why WCS Canada’s ongoing efforts to better understand western bat behaviour is so important – we can only help bats if we can find them before WNS does.
Crawling through caves to deploy acoustic monitors and track bats is all part of a day's work for our bat scientists.
WCS Canada’s W. Garfield Weston Fellows program is helping young scientists make an impact across Canada. By supporting graduate student research on important conservation issues, these fellowships give us new insights into both conservation challenges and help to develop new research approaches.
Stand with us to protect wildlife and wild places by making a donation to our conservation science across Canada.
Your support for our scientific research, knowledge sharing and policy development helps us to go further, learn more and paint a better picture of what is at stake in Canada’s wild places. Our unique blend of on-the-ground field science, cutting-edge conservation research and well-informed policy input has helped to protect key areas like Nahanni National Park, the Peel Watershed in Yukon and bat caves in British Columbia. But we focus on more than individual places or species – we also look at how to change perceptions, approaches and even laws to better keep the wild alive across Canada. Our supporters – large and small – make this work possible and we thank you for being a part of our work to save wildlife and wild places. Together, we stand for wildlife.
Brown bears - © Susan Morse
Caribou - © Susan Morse
Arctic fox - © Susan Morse
Background photo of landscape: © Garth Lenz
Background photo of scientist: Lila Tauzer / WCS Canada
Rotating images:
Upper Saskatchewan River: John Weaver / WCS Canada
Wolverine: © Susan Morse
Caribou: © Susan Morse
Beaufort Sea ice: William Halliday / WCS Canada
Deploying acoustic monitor: WCS Canada
Background photo of canoeists: © Allan Lissner
Rotating images:
Fishing: Cheryl Chetkiewicz / WCS Canada
Moose: © Garth Lenz
Campfire: © Allan Lissner
Background bat cluster: Greg Horne
Rotating images:
Exiting cave: Dave Hobson
Deploying acoustic monitor: Martin Davis
Long-eared bat: Michael Proctor
Background photo of drone operators: Eric Palm
Background image of bobcat: © Susan Morse
Rotating images:
Blackpoll warbler: Jukka Jantunen
Wolf: © Susan Morse
Background aerial image: WCS Canada
Lake image: WCS Canada