Latest news with #CommitteeontheStatusofEndangeredWildlifeinCanada
National Observer
14-05-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
As one species disappears from Ontario, Doug Ford weakens protections for the rest
Amidst the turmoil of tariffs and multiple elections, a small frog previously found in southwestern Ontario is in the last stages of going officially extinct in the province. For the first and hopefully last time, in 2024, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) reclassified an endangered terrestrial species as extirpated — the Blanchard's Cricket Frog. The federal government is now consulting on making this status official under the Species at Risk Act. In a twist of fate, the government of Ontario has just announced parallel plans to scrap the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and create 'special economic zones,' where developers and resource companies are exempt from provincial regulations. If Premier Ford proceeds with these measures, endangered species in Ontario are going to be more reliant than ever on federal protection. This sets the stage for some tough discussions between the province and Prime Minister Mark Carney's newly-elected government, which has made important commitments to halting biodiversity loss. Not incidentally, Ontarians are among the most enthusiastic for federal action to preserve nature. That might be because the underlying causes of the colourful cricket frog's decline remain unaddressed. According to COSEWIC, wetland loss is 'the major factor' in its disappearance, while the runoff of pesticides and fertilizers was a 'major contributing' factor. The government of Ontario even agrees. This situation has been exacerbated by a series of measures in recent years by the Ontario government to dismantle protections for wetlands — protections which not only conserved habitat for wildlife, but reduced the risk of natural disasters, like floods, for people. If Ontario Premier Doug Ford scraps the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and creates 'special economic zones,'endangered species like the Blanchard's Cricket Frog will be more reliant on federal protection for their survival, writes Shane Moffatt Ontario is now increasingly an outlier. After Canada successfully hosted and landed a historic 'Deal for Nature' (The Kunming-Montreal Agreement) in late 2022, hopes were high for a new wave of government actions to halt biodiversity loss and respect Indigenous knowledge, while ensuring local benefits from conservation. Some provinces stepped up to the plate by committing to new protections, investing in conservation and partnering with Indigenous Peoples. In contrast, Ontario has become a laggard, dragging its heels on new protected areas and enacting ' pay-to-slay ' provisions to benefit heavy industry. Bulldozing endangered species protections in this manner is out of sync with Canadian values, according to recent EKOS polling. Healthy forests and waters sustain all Ontarians, not just endangered species. We all rely on a healthy environment for the air we breathe and so much more. Premier Ford should be strengthening the existing legislation and learn from what is working well for other provinces when it comes to halting biodiversity loss. There is a lot of innovation and collaboration happening across the country. Protecting and restoring the natural world so that a diversity of life can thrive around us is a multigenerational national project with deep resonance for most Ontarians. The key is also deceptively simple, according to an important new study of Canadian recovery strategies for species at risk — identify the cause of a species' decline and stop it. That means ending industrial exemptions to harm critical habitats, whether in 'special economic zones' or otherwise. No matter what Premier Ford plans to replace the ESA with, if anything, the government will be judged by how effectively it prevents actions that imperil vulnerable species. That doesn't mean stopping all development. Far from it. It just means not building warehouses on the wetlands which we depend on just as much as frogs, turtles and beavers do. It means building strong local economies that are in harmony with nature, not in conflict. We might be able to clone a dire wolf, but we can't clone the healthy habitats we rely on for our own survival. The sooner we start protecting them, the less work we're leaving for future generations to restore them.
CBC
04-05-2025
- CBC
Endangered piping plovers have returned to P.E.I. for another breeding season
As endangered piping plovers return to P.E.I. for another nesting season, there are simple things Islanders can do to help protect these tiny beach birds. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has listed the piping plover as endangered since 1985. Jenna Cahill, coastal project manager at Island Nature Trust, said the birds usually leave P.E.I. in late August for warmer winter locations like the southern U.S. or the Bahamas and return in April. This year, the first piping plover on P.E.I. was spotted on April 15 at Thunder Cove. Cahill said fewer than 60 of these birds are typically seen on the Island each year, with the low numbers mostly due to human disturbance. Here on P.E.I., people going to the beach can encroach on the space the birds need to raise their young. "They're very sensitive to disturbances, so even if you know they're not being directly trampled on or whatever, even if you just disturb them while they're feeding, because they have such long migrations, just that extra energy expenditure can decrease the likelihood that they can make those long migrations," Cahill told CBC News. Simple steps to help Cahill said piping plovers are classified as a conservation-dependent species, meaning they would become extinct without ongoing conservation efforts. Thanks to efforts on P.E.I. by Parks Canada and the Island Nature Trust, plover numbers have been holding relatively steady in recent years, she said. But Islanders still have an important role to play. "The biggest thing we can do is just be mindful ... If there are signs up, just know that there are plovers presents and you're probably not going to be able to see them," she said. "Keep your dog on a leash, because even if you can't see them, your dog probably can. And it's not a lot of work for a dog to chase after a plover." Another tip: Walk on wet sand when you're at the beach. "They usually nest in the dry sand, and their nests are very, very well camouflaged as well. So if you just walk on the wet sand, you're kind of reducing the chance that you could accidentally step on a nest or on a bird," Cahill said. She added that piping plovers often prefer wide sandy beaches along P.E.I.'s North Shore. Get involved to help survey Islanders can also help by joining the Coastal Guardian program run by Island Nature Trust. Volunteers can sign up to help survey beaches and coastal ecosystems across P.E.I. for species at risk and monitor ecosystem health. There are two streams that people can take, surveying for either bank swallows or piping plovers, based on their interest, training level and location, Cahill said. For those living near beaches where piping plovers are often seen, volunteers are asked to go out about once a week. "They will survey for piping plover and basically just provide us with updates as to what they're doing, and talk to the public and spread the word," said Cahill.
Cision Canada
02-05-2025
- Science
- Cision Canada
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada to meet in Wendake to deliberate on the conservation status of 16 wildlife species Français
OTTAWA, ON, May 2, 2025 /CNW/ - The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) offers independent advice to the federal government. Members are experts in wildlife biology and meet twice a year to consider wildlife species that may need legal protection because they are threatened with extinction from Canada. COSEWIC will review the status of 16 Canadian wildlife species at their May meeting. These include four new wildlife species and twelve whose current conservation status needs reconsideration. The new species include the world's largest starfish, whose numbers have plummeted from a mysterious disease on the west coast, a lichen that lives primarily on threatened Ash trees in Ontario, a naturally rare but now rarer land snail at the northern edge of its range in Eastern Canada, and the largest fish in the Arctic Ocean, the incredibly long-lived Greenland Shark. COSEWIC will also evaluate Snowy Owl, three reptiles, six freshwater fish, a moss, and a sneaky bee that lays its eggs in other bees' nests. The meeting will take place from May 5 to 8, 2025, at the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in the heart of the Huron-Wendat Nation at Wendake, Quebec. Following the meeting, a press release will be issued that summarizes the results of the discussions, highlighting ongoing Canadian conservation challenges and successful conservation actions. For more information, please see the COSEWIC website at David S. Lee (he/him/il) Chair, Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) @cosewic Président, Comité sur la situation des espèces en péril au Canada (COSEPAC) @cosewic
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists stunned after whales make extraordinary appearance far outside their natural waters: 'It's big news'
For the first time in recorded history, a group of bowhead whales has been spotted off the coast of British Columbia, far south of their typical Arctic habitat. Researchers from the University of Manitoba documented bowhead whale sightings in Canada's Churchill River Estuary while gathering data on beluga whales. Bowhead whales typically reside in Arctic waters, and no other whale species come to the estuary other than migrating Western Hudson Bay belugas. "There's something special about when these animals come through — it's big news in town, shared with everyone. It's part of the wonder of Churchill and the adventure," said scientist Emma Ausen. While the sighting excites the researchers who found that only 10 previous sightings have been recorded in the last century, it also sounds alarms about the changing nature of our oceans. Bowhead whales depend on sea ice for feeding and protection, and their presence in warmer waters could be a sign of habitat disruption. Earth's overheating is rapidly melting Arctic sea ice, which could be pushing the whales farther south of their natural habitat. Additionally, the melting ice has led to more orca sightings, which means bowheads are moving into the estuary to escape their predators. These shifts in animal behavior may become more frequent if warming trends continue, which could further harm ecosystems and put vulnerable species at risk. The Eastern Canada–West Greenland population of bowhead whales is listed as a species of "Special Concern" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, as the University of Manitoba observed. If this estuary proves to be an emerging habitat for these whales, it could prompt the need for new conservation measures, including restrictions on vessel size and speed to minimize disturbances. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Individuals can aid these initiatives by reducing their use of single-use plastics that end up in the ocean, supporting community-led conservation efforts, and donating to ocean-focused organizations like Oceana. This rare appearance of bowhead whales is a good reminder that our planet is changing fast, and we all have a role to play in protecting vulnerable species. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CBC
10-03-2025
- Science
- CBC
Discovery of zebra mussel near Mactaquac raises alarm over spread of invasive species
Social Sharing The recent discovery of a live zebra mussel near Mactaquac, west of Fredericton, is raising concerns the invasive species is spreading in New Brunswick, with potentially damaging impacts on ecosystems, infrastructure, boats and even beaches. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans found an adult zebra mussel on a dock in the St. John River just north of the Mactaquac Dam in December, said Terry Melanson, team lead for the department's aquatic invasive species program. The single mussel doesn't necessarily mean the species has taken hold in that part of the river, but it does suggest the mollusc has spread from the Edmundston region, where it was first discovered in the province in 2023, Melanson said. "Now, will it get bad? That we don't know," Melanson said in an interview. "We could see localized impacts and we could see very little [impact]. That's kind of the mystery behind this ... that though we're employing several methods to detect the zebra mussels, there's no way to know to what extent they're going to establish in the St. John River." A creeping threat Zebra mussels are native to eastern European waters but entered the Great Lakes in the late 1980s through ballast water discharged from ships, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. They've since spread through much of eastern Canada and the United States. The threat to New Brunswick first came in 2022, when zebra mussels were detected in Quebec's Lake Temiscouata, which drains into the Madawaska River, a tributary of the St. John River. WATCH | Why spreading zebra mussels could hurt infrastructure: What the spread of zebra mussels in N.B. could look like 23 minutes ago Duration 1:27 What could happen when zebra mussels, an invasive species that is spreading in New Brunswick, pile up. Terry Melanson of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans explains. As feared, the mussels were discovered the following year in the Madawaska River, including on infrastructure connected to Edmundston's Madawaska Dam, said Melanson. Last summer, samples by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans found zebra mussel larvae in several locations in the St. John River as far south as the Mactaquac Dam, Melanson said.. Danger to native species Melanson said once zebra mussels take hold in an environment, they can propagate in clusters numbering into the thousands. If that happens in New Brunswick, the species could pose a serious risk to the yellow lampmussel, which has been labelled a species of "special concern" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. "They're filter feeders, mussels, so they would filter the same organisms or organic matter as the yellow lampmussels. So in that respect [zebra mussels] risk impacting negatively that species." According to the Fisheries and Oceans, the yellow lampmussel is only found in two Canadian watersheds, the St. John River and Sydney River in Nova Scotia, making it particularly vulnerable to changes in those ecosystems. Damaging to humans Aside from the threat they pose to New Brunswick's aquatic ecosystem, zebra mussels are also known to wreak havoc in spaces affecting people. Melanson said municipal intake and drainage pipes along the St. John River could become clogged by clusters of zebra mussels and the same can happen to infrastructure for hydroelectric dams. "And when they do stick to these hardened substrates, they really form dense mats," he said. "We're talking something perhaps [the size of] the end of your small fingernail, but take hundreds or thousands of those in dense clumps, you can already imagine the impacts that can happen just on, on infrastructure alone." Melanson said zebra mussels have been found on the Madawaska Dam, but the dozen or so that were found are considered a small number. Melanson said swimming spots could also become hazardous if zebra mussels spread and multiply in the St. John River, given their shape and size. "The shells being small by their very nature are very sharp, and ... a person walking barefoot, it could cut their feet." Stopping their spread Once zebra mussels have entered a water body, there's not much that can be done to eradicate them, said Sarah Cusack, a project co-ordinator with the New Brunswick Invasive Species Council. Cusack said part of what makes them so proliferous is that in their larval stage, zebra mussels can travel long distances on their own just using the natural flow of a body of water. On top of that, the larvae are impossible to see with the naked eye and can get accidentally transported from one waterway to another by boaters and kayakers. Cusack said in light of that, her organization emphasizes to recreational boaters to thoroughly clean their boats, drain any captured water, and let them dry out before putting it back in the water — especially if they're going to be in a different water body. "I do believe that this is something that should be taken very seriously," Cusack said. "Zebra mussels have caused billions of dollars of damages and management requirements elsewhere where they've been introduced," she said. "They're not native to North America. So we are going to see potentially changes in our ecosystem, in our freshwater systems, and a cascading effect that will happen because of that because they do move so quickly."
