An icon of BC’s wilderness, caribou have been resilient since the Ice Age, out-surviving mammoths and saber-toothed cats in the cold. In the winter, they continue to use their large hooves and acute sense of smell to find and dig up lichen—their unique food source.
For many Indigenous peoples like the West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations, caribou are foundational to their way of life—for generations, they’ve hunted caribou for food and as part of their culture.
Once, long ago, over 40,000 caribou roamed freely across the province. Now, less than 15,000 remain, fighting to survive on scattered lands full of predators, highways, and logging. For once thriving herds like the Klinse-Za, this number dwindles below 100. The clock is ticking fast for BC’s precious caribou, and we need to take action before it’s too late.
CARIBOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME
Across the province, there are a mere 55 caribou populations remaining today. BC’s most at-risk types of caribou—the boreal and southern mountain caribou—live in BC’s southeast and up north, near the Alberta and Yukon borders. Over 75% of these two caribou types are in decline or extirpated, never to come back.
Across BC, logging including clear-cutting in old growth forests, dramatically alters caribou habitats. Moose have moved into caribou territory, bringing their mutual predator, wolves, with them. This—alongside competition against moose for food and shelter and clear-cutting in BC’s old growth—has shrunk and fragmented traditional caribou habitat, causing their rapid decline.
Though the provincial government has created a draft plan for boreal caribou, it isn’t enough. The plan doesn’t protect all boreal caribou populations, and allows industries to continue some logging and oil extraction. Southern mountain caribou, on the other hand, have a recovery plan in place, but still, the animals are not recovering fast enough. We can and must do better.
WHY IS PROTECTING THEM IMPORTANT
Like grizzly bears, caribou are a keystone species in BC, which means their presence in a landscape shows us how healthy or harmed an ecosystem is. Many caribou depend on the health of BC’s inland temperate rainforest—one of only three in the entire world.
Caribou aren’t just a provincial matter, either. 2019 marked the end of caribou in the US, leading to the listing of BC caribou in the US Endangered Species Act in the hopes that BC will take action to protect the world’s only deep-snow caribou.
Protecting areas where they roam—like Dene Kʼéh Kusān—is a key way we can help these animals thrive.
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Historic agreement signals celebrated step for caribou in BC
For immediate release
February 21, 2020
Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, BC – Today, a historic collaboration reached a critical point with the signing of a partnership agreement regarding the recovery of southern mountain caribou.
Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations announced they have negotiated a partnership agreement with B.C. and Canada to protect and recover caribou in the Peace Region. Part of the Partnership Agreement between the four governments includes the creation of an important new protected area in critical caribou habitat on West Moberly and Saulteau territories, near Chetwynd, BC.
“We are encouraged by this significant agreement to recover one of Canada’s most iconic species,” said Bruce Passmore, Executive Director of CPAWS-BC, “we applaud West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations, who have demonstrated incredible leadership, working with the provincial and federal governments towards protection of wildlife and species at risk in their traditional territories.”
This agreement includes new protected areas, that will expand the Klinse-za Provincial Park as well as restoration measures, access management, habitat recovery and restoration, and an Indigenous Guardian Program. A full, collaborative suite of measures sets the best chance at success for recovery while furthering Indigenous-led conservation models. Such models are critical to upholding the culture, stewardship and traditional knowledge of the original caretakers of the land.
“Support for Indigenous-led land and wildlife conservation efforts is crucial if we are to stem the global biodiversity and climate crisis,” said Passmore. “This historic collaboration between four governments demonstrates a new way forward for conservation in BC to preserve important species before it is too late.”
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For interview, please contact:
Skye Vallance, Communications and Development Coordinator
Oceans Act enforces glass sponge reef marine protected area regulations
February 6, 2020
Unceded Coast Salish Territory/Vancouver, B.C. – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) welcomes the conviction of illegal fishing in the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area (Hecate MPA).
Illegal commercial groundfish harvesting was found to have occurred in the marine protected areas. A fine of $20,000 for illegal activity prohibited under the Hecate MPA Regulations, the first conviction under the Oceans Act nationwide. An additional fine, under the Fisheries Act, of $25,000 for possessing illegally caught fish was ordered to be paid.
“We would like to thank Fisheries and Oceans Canada for enforcing MPA regulations under the Oceans Act and protecting B.C.’s glass sponge reefs,” says Ross Jameson, Ocean Conservation Manager for CPAWS-BC.
Located in the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound off B.C.’s north and central coasts, the Hecate MPA glass sponge reefs are a world treasure. Once thought extinct for millions of years, glass sponge reefs are now known only to live in the northeast Pacific Ocean, mainly off B.C.’s coast.
CPAWS-BC has been working since the early 2000s to protect B.C.’s glass sponge reefs. After years of pushing for protection, we celebrated when the Hecate MPA was created by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in 2017. CPAWS-BC continues to work with First Nations and the Government of Canada to protect other vulnerable glass sponge reefs in B.C. Enforcement of these Oceans Act MPA regulations will help ensure these rare ecosystems are not destroyed due to human activities.
Glass sponges are filter feeders. They do this so efficiently that 95% of bacteria are filtered out, cleaning the water. In fact, a single small reef can filter enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in less than 60 seconds! Glass sponge reefs provide shelter for bottom-dwelling creatures such as rockfish and prawns.
Fishing activity can cause severe harm to these fragile habitats. Prawn and crab traps drop down and crush glass sponge reefs. Bottom trawling of heavy nets dragged along the seafloor destroy everything in their path while kicking up clouds of disturbed sediment, that prevent the sponges from feeding.
While this conviction means that the Hecate MPA is being enforced, more work needs to be done. Jameson says, “Now we need a management plan for this MPA with effective education, outreach, and additional protections to prevent these offences from occurring in the future.”
Quillback rockfish on glass sponge reef. Photo Credit: Diane Reid
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) supports the creation of large, well-managed, connected protected areas where native plants and animals thrive, now and forever; and where people and communities can live off the land and ocean without impacting the ability of future generations to do the same.
Decision to Safeguard Silverdaisy Valley Welcomed by CPAWS-BC
December 4, 2019
Traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations, Vancouver BC – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) welcomes today’s announcement from Minister George Heyman and Minister Doug Donaldson that the Silverdaisy Valley in southwest BC is now off-limits to commercial forestry. Alongside First Nations and tribes on both sides of the border, CPAWS-BC has been working in partnership with other conservation and recreation organizations to secure long-term protections for this high-value landscape that has long been of great conservation interest.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates tremendous leadership from the BC government to work towards nature protection in critical parts of the province,”says Tori Ball, Terrestrial Campaigner for CPAWS-BC. “We congratulate everyone involved for their persistent and collaborative efforts to find a resolution to the threat of logging in the rich and intact Silverdaisy Valley.”
Located in the upper reaches of the Skagit River Valley in BC, the Silverdaisy Valley is surrounded on all sides by two of BC’s most well known protected areas, E.C. Manning and Skagit Valley Provincial Parks. This area supports year-round recreational opportunities, as well as important habitat for rare and endangered Spotted Owls, and the most imperiled grizzly bear population in the province.
Since commercial forestry operations began in this area in 2015, there has been significant concern from environmental organizations, outdoor businesses and Indigenous rights holders who have used this area as a traditional gathering place for millenia. Today’s announcement shows the government’s shared commitment to protecting the Skagit River Valley.
“Keeping this broader landscape intact is absolutely critical to maintaining the overall health of this world-class ecosystem in the long term,” says Ball. “These new protections from forestry are what’s most needed in this landscape right now, and we commend the government for working collaboratively with First Nations and stakeholders to get to this result.”
Silversdaisy Peak in Skagit River Valley. Photo by: Wilderness Committee
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) is dedicated to the protection of public land and water, and ensuring our parks are managed to protect the nature within them. Our vision is to establish large, intact areas of wilderness on land and in the ocean that can nurture nature through climate change and support all life.
One year out of graduate school, I still define myself as an intestinal immunologist. I am fascinated by the intestinal ecosystem; specifically how bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi co-evolve and interact with each other and your body. This ecosystem influences your health in fascinatingly intricate ways.
Now out of graduate school, I
have expanded this view to environmental ecosystems. I view the world through a
holistic lens and believe that uncovering the woven webs in
ecosystems truly makes one appreciate the need for nuanced approaches to
protected areas and lifestyle.
This summer, I am inviting people like you on hikes with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) to share stories of BC’s interconnected systems. I hopeto spark a sense of awe at the cleverness and ingenuity of it all. Mostly, I want to share my appreciation for protected areas and the role they play in supporting these systems through our changing world. I think we are ultimately on track toward sustainability, but I know that the environment needs our help to adapt and thrive in the meantime. While we, humanity, figure out how to live sustainably with our planet, protecting large and biodiverse swaths of intact land is an important pro-active measure in the face of climate change.
I got involved with CPAWS in 2016 when Jessie, CPAWS-BC’s Terrestrial Manager, gave a talk at UBC. I was hooked by CPAWS-BC’s mission to create protected areas in nature while fostering a community of leadership for nature.
I am grateful to live in a time where pristine wilderness and pockets of thriving biodiversity still exist. Learning more about land stewardship and Indigenous knowledge on our human relationships with nature has impacted the ways I understand the world around me. Hearing stories and offering support for new models of Indigenous-led conservation give me hope for these natural places to continue to sustain us – our health, our livelihood and our communities in the future .
If you live around BC’s Lower Mainland, I hope you’ll join one of our community MicroAdventure hikes to make the most of the cooler season and exchange stories as we enjoy nature (and food!) together.
P.S. What am I most excited about? Growing collective knowledge on Leave No Trace principles for any outdoor-goer to apply. I can’t wait to share tips and tricks like these and more.
Happy Hour Hikes and MicroAdventures CPAWS-BC’s community hikes are set at a social pace on beginner-friendly trails in Metro Vancouver area. We will share tools that each of us can use to protect the ecological integrity of BC’s parks and protected areas, identify plants and signs of wildlife, and reveal pro hiking tips.
All are welcome! We have a carpool or trail-head meet-up option available. Free to register!
Questions about community hike trails or accessibility? heather@cpawsbc.org | 604.685.7445 x24
Can’t make it but want to support conservation in BC? Please take one minute to tell your Provincial Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) that you support Indigenous-led conservation initiatives in our province. Learn more at besthope.ca
Deep under the ocean waters off of BC’s Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound live rare and delicate glass sponge reefs. While glass sponges are found all over the world, it is mainly on our coasts that they form intricate reefs. CPAWS-BC has been advocating for the protection of glass sponge reefs since 2001. In 2017, the Government of Canada established the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to safeguard these fragile features from harmful human activities. But new research published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series suggests that these current protections may not be enough to prevent glass sponge reefs from harm.
Most marine sponges are soft and squishy, feeling much like the sponges we use to clean our kitchens and bathrooms. However, glass sponges absorb silica from the water to form their glass skeletons, giving them hard bodies but making them extremely fragile.
The earliest fossils of glass sponge reefs are 220 millions years old, spread out over a 7000 kilometre stretch of Central Europe. However, 40 millions years ago they disappeared from the fossil record and were thought to be extinct.
But in 1987, a team of Canadian scientists mapping the seafloor discovered living glass sponge reefs 200 metres below the ocean surface of Hecate Strait. For them, this discovery was like finding a herd of living dinosaurs.
ESSENTIAL TO THE ECOSYSTEM
Far from just being beautiful and rare, glass sponges are also integral parts of the ocean ecosystem.
Glass sponge reefs provide shelter for bottom-dwelling creatures such as rockfish and prawns.
Fishing activity can cause severe harm to these fragile habitats. Prawn and crab traps drop down and crush glass sponge reefs. Bottom trawling of heavy nets dragged along the seafloor destroy everything in their path while kicking up clouds of disturbed sediment. The Marine Protected Area regulations protect the reefs themselves from bottom-contact activities such these. However, nearby fishing activity kilometres away can still be deadly.
Glass sponges are filter feeders. They do this so efficiently that 95% of bacteria are filtered out, cleaning the water. In fact, a single small reef can filter enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in less than 60 seconds! Furthermore, the nitrogen waste they excrete acts as a fertilizer for plankton.
Storms of sediment trigger sponges to stop filter feeding.
When these storms of sediment kicked up be bottom trawling roll over glass sponge reefs, they are triggered to stop filter feeding and absorbing oxygen. The glass sponges choke and can even starve to death.
NEW DISCOVERIES
But animals behave differently depending on where they live and no experiments had been conducted on the Hecate Strait sponge reefs. Research released last year shed light on this mystery.
Living 200 metres below the sea surface, the Hecate Strait sponges are too deep for humans to dive to. To reach these depths, a remotely operated vehicle or ROV was used to carry out the experiments. Remotely controlled from a ship on the surface, the robot operated like an underwater drone, but with the bonus feature of mechanical arms.
The ROV placed thermistors, special devices used to measure water flow, inside the opening on top of the sponges to measure how much water the sponges were filtering for feeding.
To measure the sponges’ reaction to sediment, the ROV’s arm used a modified ice scoop to spread sediment over the sponge.
“Just a little bit of sediment actually stops the sponges from feeding for six to 12 hours. If that continues for long enough, that could lead to health problems and even death,” said Carlo Acuna, Ocean Campaigner, CPAWS-BC
The scientists found that the glass sponges stopped filtering water after even small increases in suspended sediment. Bottom trawling activities kick up much more sediment than the Hecate Strait glass sponges can tolerate.
Sediment clouds can stop glass sponges from feeding for up to 12 hours.
The suspended sediment created from a three hour bottom trawl could stop glass sponges from feeding for six to 12 hours. Fishing activities around the marine protected areas could deprive Hecate Strait sponge reefs of nearly one thirds of their food supply, stumping their growth and hindering reproduction. Extended exposure to sediment could lead to death.
Furthermore, models indicate that suspended sediment from trawl fishing as far away as 2.39 kilometres can cause glass sponges to stop feeding. With the right tides and current, this harmful distance can be as far as 5.94 kilometres.
MORE PROTECTION NEEDED
The Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area currently provides a one kilometre buffer zone around each reef where no bottom contact activity is allowed. This new research proves that these restrictions are not enough to protect these global treasures.
“Trawling is the biggest bottom contact fishing activity,” Carlo Acuna, CPAWS-BC Ocean Campaigner
Although the glass sponge reefs found in Howe Sound and the Georgia Strait have been found to have a stronger tolerance to sediment, their buffer zones are only a paltry 150 metres wide and drastically insufficient.
Glass sponge reefs need bigger buffer zone around Marine Protected Areas.
New regulations are needed to increase the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Marine Glass Sponge Reefs Protected Area buffer zones to at least three kilometres and as much as six kilometres. This will only increase restricted bottom fishing areas in B.C.’s ocean by 0.6% while ensuring the health of the valuable marine species supported by these reefs for generations to come.
The glass sponges in Howe Sound and Georgia Strait look to be more resistant to sediment. Using the precautionary principle, we are proposing an increase of the buffer zones here beyond the current 150 metres until proper ground truthing research has been carried out and the local threats have been assessed.
CPAWS-BC has been working since the early 2000s to protect B.C’s glass sponge reefs. We celebrated when the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Marine Protected Area was created in 2017. In 2017, we supported the nomination of glass sponge reefs for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. With your help we can add further protections, ensuring these wonders found nowhere else in the world are sufficiently preserved for generations to come.
Communications & Development Coordinator, CPAWS-BC
info@cpawsbc.org
604-685-7445 ext22
CPAWS-BC Applauds Critical Step for Reconciliation and Conservation
Thursday October 24th, 2019
Traditional territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, Victoria, BC – The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) congratulates the government of BC’s leadership to legally uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the province. The introduction of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the first law of its kind in Canada, follows through on commitments to reconcile BC law with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
“This legislation is one step forward in a path to reconciliation that will lift up the existing efforts of Indigenous-led protection on land and in the ocean in BC,” says Jessie Corey, Terrestrial Conservation Manager at CPAWS-BC. “Bold action to stem the climate and biodiversity crises will only be achieved with the full collaboration and participation of Indigenous communities across Canada.”
Recent movement towards designating a National Park Reserve in the nxʷəlxʷəltantət, South Okanagan-Similkameen is one example of successful collaboration between First Nations, provincial and federal governments. The recent signing of iʔ sc̓ax̌ʷtət, memorandum of understanding, between these three levels of government is based on the recognition of the title and rights of the Syilx people, and provides a path forward to reconciliation through conservation.
Earlier this year, land and wildlife conservation proposals from First Nations all across BC were submitted to the federal government as part of Canada’s investment in increasing the amount of protected areas in the country. These projects present an incredible opportunity for BC to work with First Nations to combat biodiversity loss in a way that honours Indigenous relationships to the land and rights to self-determination.
Across the country, Indigenous communities are leading the way in new forms of conservation – from the Edezhie Indigenous Protected Area in the Northwest Territories, to the proposed Kaska Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area, Dene Kʼéh Kusān in northern BC.
“This leadership from Indigenous people sets a new foundation for future efforts in BC to safeguard lands and waters through new protected areas,” continued Corey. “With this new legislation, governments are creating a better path forward to a shared future with healthy landscapes and wildlife populations at the heart of it.”
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For interview, contact:
Skye Vallance
Communications & Development Coordinator, CPAWS-BC
info@cpawsbc.org
604-685-7445 ext.22
Resources:
Consent Paper by Dougla Whilte III Kwulasultun from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs This report released Oct 21, 2019, advances understandings and dialogue about free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) by identifying and examining foundations for understanding FPIC – including from Indigenous perspectives. Furthermore, it places a focus on how to operationalize FPIC including the work that the Crown, Indigenous Nations, and industry should be doing.
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) is dedicated to the protection of public land and water, and ensuring our parks are managed to protect the nature within them. Our vision is to establish large, intact areas of wilderness on land and in the ocean that can nurture nature through climate change and support all life.
The 2019 Greater Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) season sparks action and changes the way we see the world. CPAWS-BC is thrilled to be supporting VIFF this year as a community partner of Oscar-nominated director Fernando Meirelles’ “The Great Green Wall”.
“The Great Green Wall” highlights one of the world’s most ambitious initiatives to tackle climate change. 11 African nations began The Great Green Wall project in 2007 to plant 8,000 kilometers of trees and vegetation across the Sahel, a semi-arid area that stretches the entire width of Africa, south of the Sahara desert.
The film is guided by Malian musician and activist Inna Modja. Inna travels to Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Ethiopia meeting people most affected by climate change and land degradation. Human activity and mismanagement of land and ocean resources is at the root of climate change and loss of biodiversity, in the Sahel region and all around the globe. The Green Wall offers a nature-based solution to natural resource scarcity, desertification and drought, conflict, migration and community revitalization issues. The project is designed to restore land depleted by agricultural overuse and grazing. Once complete, it will restore food and livelihood for communities. The wall could absorb some 250 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The Great Green Wall, 2019
Human activity and mismanagement of land and ocean resources is at the root of climate change and loss of biodiversity. The project is designed to restore land depleted by agricultural overuse and grazing. Once complete, it will restore food and livelihood for communities. The wall could absorb some 250 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
I am at a loss for words. It’s the social, the economic, political…it is everything .
– VIFF film screening attendee
The wall itself is not linear or uniform. It is more like a patchwork of forest clusters sheltering life. It is an interconnected network of life that young people can depend on for generations to come. And the stories shared by those living along the Great Green Wall are about more than revitalizing desert landscape. They are about desperation, courage, and the hope for a brighter future.
Stories like this play out across the globe as the fight against climate change continues. Here at home, BC will experience a squeeze as our landscape and ocean morph with the climate. Flooding, storm surges, and rampant fires will displace people and wildlife from their homes. BC is along an escape route and will become a safe haven for new troves of species and communities seeking refuge from the impacts of climate change. — which will have unforeseeable impacts of its own.
The clusters of trees and plants along the Sahel breathe life back into the local communities. Things are, arguable, not quite so dire in BC, but we need to protect remaining large intact areas of wilderness for nature — including humans — to have a fighting chance.
Climate change is not coming, it is here. During an evening screening of “The Great Green Wall,” the whole audience held their breath watching a time-lapse of Lake Chad shrink by an estimated 90 per cent in a mere 50 years. It was a stark reminder of how much has already been lost. Science shows that we have only 12 years to curb our carbon emissions and keep irreparable global temperature rise at bay. We need bold, immediate action to protect habitats and ecological hotspots.
Without biodiversity, life simply could not exist. BC has the greatest biodiversity in Canada, yet we have the most species at risk and our ecosystems are collapsing.
CPAWS-BC is dedicated to the protection of our public land and water, and ensuring our parks are managed to protect the nature within them. With help from people like you, we advocate for the creation of a patchwork of life support systems across the province. The next step will be to connect the dots with wildlife corridors and connected pathways of protected areas.
BC is a special place for animals and people.
We need your help to ensure protection for these places. We depend on nature for food, shelter, healing, and recreation. Our vision is to establish large, intact areas of wilderness on land and in the ocean that supports all life to not only survive, but thrive.
Animals caught on trail camera along BC provincial park boundaries
“BC needs a healthy environment for everyone – wildlife, nature, humans and biodiversity is vital for a stable and sustainable environment
We each have a role to play in ensuring protection of biodiversity and the vitality of future communities. Environmental issues do not stand alone. Ecosystems must be resilient and adaptable to nurture nature amidst a rapidly evolving world.
Your vote for nature on October 21st helps leverage nature-based solutions and partnership between provincial, federal and Indigenous governments in response to climate change.
VIFF film screening and events September 26-October 11, 2019. Tickets and more information atWWW.VIFF.ORG
