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TechnoratiOne of my proudest moments came in 1992 at the inaugural Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Along with UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (which in turn led to the Kyoto Protocol), a second key outcome of this international meeting was the signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity, a groundbreaking agreement founded on the principle that conserving biological diversity is "a common concern of all humankind". Canada was the first of 189 countries to sign the agreement.B.C.'s Conservation Framework for protecting wildlife, released on July 9, made me realize, though, that all the agreements in the world won't add up to much if they aren't followed with action. For B.C., the stakes couldn't be higher.
The government's new policy was accompanied by research on the health of the province's wildlife and wilderness, which paints a dire picture. Some 1,640 species (or 43 per cent of assessed wildlife) and four "biogeoclimatic zones" (about five per cent of B.C.'s land base) are threatened enough to be of conservation concern. While these statistics are striking, we should remember that what scientists have actually identified might represent as little as 10 per cent of all species. B.C. and Alberta are the only provinces that don't have endangered species laws. But these laws are essential to addressing such a serious problem.
B.C. is home to 76 per cent of Canada's bird species, 70 per cent of its freshwater fish, 60 per cent of its evergreen trees, and thousands of other plants and animals. That biological richness makes it a critical part of Canada's overall wealth. But the action elements of the government's new wildlife policy rely on a fragmented, weak, and discretionary patchwork of existing approaches that haven't shown much success in the past, such as predator control, captive breeding, and piecemeal habitat protection. The sad reality is that most of B.C.'s species and ecosystems at risk remain poorly protected by law.
And so, although only 16 northern spotted owls are left in B.C., the government has not put a stop to logging in the old-growth forests where they live. In fact, of all the species identified as being at risk in B.C., only four are afforded marginal protection under the province's Wildlife Act.
British Columbia needs a clear law to recover wildlife at risk and to protect habitat to prevent species from becoming at risk in the first place. B.C. could look to Ontario, which enacted a new Endangered Species Act in 2007. Although the Ontario law isn't perfect, it includes strong wording for habitat protection and mandatory planning for the recovery of endangered and threatened species.
Without healthy ecosystems and species diversity, we can't hope to have healthy economies and healthy human societies. The loss of biodiversity affects not just the production of commodities like the food we eat, the timber we use to build our homes, and the medicines we use to heal ourselves, but many other so-called "ecosystem services" as well, like clean air and clean water.
However, according to the United Nations, two-thirds of the ecosystem services provided by nature are threatened by human actions, such as unsustainable logging, pollution, and global warming.
A strong endangered species law in B.C. would identify, protect, and recover at-risk biodiversity by protecting habitat. It would use sound science to identify and assess the risks and develop recovery strategies. It would take into account the effects of global warming. It would enshrine the precautionary principle, whereby the absence of full scientific certainty could not be used to postpone decisions when there is a real threat of serious harm. It should also include participation from all citizens and communities, including First Nations. And it must be adequately funded and enforced.
It's been 16 years since my hopes were raised that humanity was on the right track to creating a world that recognized the importance of biodiversity to human survival. And yet, the crisis in biodiversity has worsened. The B.C. government, along with all of Canada, still has the opportunity to lead the way. Its new policy for wildlife protection may be a start, but it doesn't match the kind of leadership the province has shown in combating global warming.
David Suzuki is a well-known Canadian scientist, broadcaster and environmental activist. Dr. Faisal Moola is the Director of Science at the David Suzuki Foundation. Take the Nature Challenge at www.davidsuzuki.org
© 2008 CanadaEast Interactive, Brunswick News Inc.
13 Comments so far
Show AllSuzuki is a great one to comment. That aside, Suzuki has sat by while the B.C. government has allowed numerous stinking fish farms to kill off wild salmon by the millions. Suzuki says and does nothing on this topic because he knows which side his bread is buttered on. He also sits idly by while Royal Dutch Shell works on a coal bed methane project (a potential environmental disaster in the making) on the headwaters of three of BC's most prolific salmon rivers. This particular project has a haul road going right past Suzuki's summer cabin on Ealue Lake in a pristine part of Northwestern BC. Suzuki is a pretentious wind bag who needs to put up or shut up.
There are new species popping up literally all the time. We just don't notice them in our hurried worried lives.
Weeds, insects, bugs, short lived small mammals, birds, viruses, and bacteria evolve in the shadows. We moan and groan about super bugs and diseases becoming antibiotic resistant. That's EVOLUTION smacking us upside the head. Bacteria produce hundreds of generations to our one. That's plenty of time for some serious evolution to take place.
Fish are changing size in order to outwit the fisherman's nets. They are breeding at a smaller size that make them unsuitable for fishing.
Kayaker Asked:
"Has anyone noticed a new species lately? I don't mean one that hadn't been noticed before. I mean a brand new species."
A fair question, but how do you define 'new' and how do you tell a 'new' species from one that had not been identified previously? There are probably more species out there that are unidentified than their are identified species -- be pretty tough to tell when a new one popped up. On the other hand, my lab partner and I in a genetics class essentially created a new species of fruit fly during my sophomore year, so in a a sense I have seen a new species.
"And wouldn't both a male and a female of the new species have to appear at exactly the same time in order for the species to be ongoing?"
No -- because there is no magic moment when something becomes a new species. It's a continuum, not a discrete categorization.
"Evolution is amazing. Unbelievably amazing. Or maybe just unbelievable."
I feel the same way about God -- I guess it's all a matter of perspective?
Stupid humans never learn,
Greedy humans in hell will burn.
Take even more each day to increase and grow,
Rip down the forests to build and fields to sow.
Skin, flesh, bones of all trees are splintered and chipped.
Soils are blown bare and whole species have gone as products are shipped.
When the last great forest is reduced to scattered stands,
Only human survivors will breath their last in scorched lands.
I agree the FASCISM is a huge part of the problem that BioDiversiy is confronted with, as are the problems of hunger, homlessness,slavery and so on.
I agree with the basic point made by Noam Chomsky that Fascism is pretty much everywhere as it is a brother/sister to Corporatism and has become at least a cousin to the Republican Party in the USA and of the Conservative Party in Canada.
The word relates not just to Nazi's with or without funny moustaches and jackboots, but to the authoritarianism of anybody, any Corporation, seeking wealth at whatever terible cost to Humanity, The Earth, Democracy, whatever really matters to the mass of Humanity.
As a holder of a BS in genetic biology, I get the fact that biodiversity is critical to a healthy biosphere. The corporate takeover of agriculture combined with the corporate refusal to allow renewable energy to emerge, is poisonous to life on earth.
This is fascism pure and simple. This word is often misused. My dictionary defines it as "authoritarian, militaristic government". I would expand that to include the domination of corporations over citizens as being the agents of decision making. Why else would corporations be given person hood with all of the rights given to humans, and in many cases, more rights?
There is hope that the US can regain its sanity and steer towards a more sustainable world. I do not think that McCain and Obama are the same. Politicians continuously disappoint, but can not all be painted with the same brush.
kayaker said: "And wouldn't both a male and a female of the new species have to appear at exactly the same time in order for the species to be ongoing? Evolution is amazing. Unbelievably amazing. Or maybe just unbelievable."
That would be true if species diversity didn't evolve. What part of 'evolve' did you not understand?
While I don't have a biochemical problem with GMO foods, my concern with them is regarding biodiversity. Can we be assured that GMO organisms won't 'jump the fence' on the farm and find a new, wild life in natural communities? Recent history is RIFE with introduced species wreaking HAVOC on indigenous ecosystems, and the fallout from ordinary species introduction is probably only half-done!
If, for example, frost tolerance is introduced into GMO strawberries, what happens if that gene finds expression in native strawberries (which often grow not far from farmed strawberries and probably have SOME cross-pollination)? What happens is frost-tolerant wild strawberries taking over natural ecosystems, displacing plants that belong there, and causing their extinction.
From the movie 'Jurassic Park', the 'chaotician' Ian Malcolm, says "Nature always finds a way [to reproduce]... violently if necessary"
The fact that there are only four comments prior to mine (and one of them is blank) is a very good indication of how little interest there is in biodiversity. An article ranting on the high price of gasoline would have had at least seventy comments posted by now.
An aside: Since evolution is ongoing and millions of species developed over millions of years there should be new species coming on line every year or so. Has anyone noticed a new species lately? I don't mean one that hadn't been noticed before. I mean a brand new species. And wouldn't both a male and a female of the new species have to appear at exactly the same time in order for the species to be ongoing? Evolution is amazing. Unbelievably amazing. Or maybe just unbelievable.
"A strong endangered species law in B.C. would identify, protect, and recover at-risk biodiversity by protecting habitat."
You forgot the most important things--too many people and too few with too much.
The web of life is unraveling.
Georg & Brenda Feuerstein: Traditional Yoga Studies - "The Sixth Mass Extinction epitomizes the huge problem our human species is confronting. We think that One Planet, One Life has done a remarkable job of assembling a website that brings this sobering but mostly ignored reality to the public at large. This is a very important task, which we can only wish speedy success in order to prevent total biosphere collapse from happening. 'One Planet, One Life' reminds us that we all are in this planetary ark together and that we must do our utmost to keep it afloat."
Educate your friends and family.
www.oneplanetonelife.com
Biodiversity is also an index of sustainability. As long as it is declining, we are spending down the natural capital which supports us.
www.StudentsForTheEarth.org