Biodiversity & Species

Humans Using 1.5 Earths - Living Planet Report

The Living Planet Report 2010, conducted by WWF International and produced with the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network, uses the global Living Planet Index as a measure of the health of over than 2,500 species. The report ultimate states that humans would now need 1.5 planets to sustain their consumption patterns.

"There is an alarming rate of biodiversity loss in low-income, often tropical countries while the developed world is living in a false paradise, fuelled by excessive consumption and high carbon emissions," states Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International.

The report shows the United Arab Emirates had the largest footprint per average citizen in 2007, consuming the equivalent of 10.7 global hectares of resources. This was followed by Qatar (10.5 hectares per person), Denmark (8.3), Belgium (8.0), the United States (8.0), Estonia (7.9), Canada (7.0), Australia (6.8), Kuwait (6.3) and Ireland (6.3).

If the global population continues growing and living beyond the Earth's limits by 2030, we will require the equivalent of two planets' productive capacity to meet our annual demands.

U.N. Says World Failing to Protect Biodiversity

In a move endorsed by the U.N. General Assembly, in 2002 more than 190 countries committed to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

But natural habitats in most parts of the world are shrinking and nearly a quarter of plant species are estimated to be threatened with extinction, noted the report.

The report said climate change, pollution, habitat change, overexploitation and invasive alien species were the five main drivers of biodiversity loss and warned the provision of food, medicine, fresh water and crop pollination could be at risk.

The report, based on the work of 110 national reports, also highlighted areas where the 2010 target resulted in concrete actions.

The Silence of the Buzzing

No one is precisely certain of the cause of CCD. A January 2010 Congressional Report, entitled "Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder" identified three major possibilities: pesticides, parasites, and a combination of existing stresses that may compromise the immune system of bees and disrupt their social system.

Many environmental groups and publications have honed in on the risks posed by pesticides, and in particular a class of pesticides known as neonicotinoids. One such pesticide, clothianidin, is "highly toxic to honey bees" according to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fact Sheet and has already been banned in several European countries. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Xerces Society successfully sued to invalidate EPA approval of the pesticide spirotetramat, a related neonicotinoid pesticide, in December of 2009, but other neonicotinoids like clothianidin remain on the shelves.

The answer, however may be more complex. Marcelo Aizen and Lawrence Harder examined United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) data in a study published in the 2009 June edition of Current Biology and showed that while indeed bee populations have declined in the U.S. since 2004, the global population of managed bees has, since the 1960s, risen by 50 percent while honey production has gone up 100 percent. "We are not denying that there are serious biological problems, like in the U.S. with colony collapse disorder," clarified Harder in a Conservation Magazine article "But our argument is that this sort of thing is a short-term episode in a much-longer declining trend that's probably more related to the economics of the honey industry."

2010 International Year of Biodiversity

Throughout 2010, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), joined by the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international partners, will lead events aimed to raise public awareness on reasons for conserving biodiversity. Events will include launch of IYB, world-wide celebrations, UNESCO Biodiversity Exhibit, and conferences including the UN General Assembly discussion of Biodiversity, Conference of the Parties (COP-10), Conference of the Parties -Meeting of the Parties (COP-MOP 5) and Conference of the Parties -Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (COP 15 CITES).

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Migratory Birds Convention

Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

2010 Biodiversity Target & Global Outlook 2

1. Reducing the rate of loss of the components of biodiversity, including: (i) biomes, habitats and ecosystems; (ii) species and populations; and (iii) genetic diversity;
2. Promoting sustainable use of biodiversity;
3. Addressing the major threats to biodiversity, including those arising from invasive alien species, climate change, pollution, and habitat change;
4. Maintaining ecosystem integrity, and the provision of goods and services provided by biodiversity in ecosystems, in support of human well-being;
5. Protecting traditional knowledge, innovations and practices;
6. Ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources; and
7. Mobilizing financial and technical resources, especially for developing countries, in particular least developed countries and small island developing States among them, and countries with economies in transition, for implementing the Convention and the Strategic Plan.

• Ecosystems across the planet have been impacted by biodiversity loss
• Deforestation continues at an alarmingly high rate. Since 2000, 6 million hectares of primary forest have been lost annually.
• Marine and coastal ecosystems have suffered due to human activities. In the Caribbean, average hard coral cover declined from 50% to 10% in the last three decades. 35% of mangroves have been lost in the last two decades.
• While protected areas cover some 13% of the world's land area, these are unevenly distributed, with only 2/5 of the world's ecoregions reaching the 10% benchmark. Only some half a percent of marine areas are covered. And not all of these areas are effectively managed.
• The average abundance of species is declining - 40% loss between 1970 and 2000. Species present in rivers, lakes and marshlands have declined by 50%. Declines are evident in amphibians, African mammals, birds in agricultural lands, corals and commonly harvested fish species.
• Habitats, such as forests and river systems are becoming fragmented, affecting their ability to maintain biodiversity and deliver ecosystem services.
• The intensification of fishing has led to a decline of large fish. In the North Atlantic, their numbers have declined by 66% in the last 50 years.
• The threats causing this biodiversity loss are generally increasing.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Sustaining Ecosystem Services:
Building on Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)
Strategic Plan for Conservation of Biodiversity

Trilateral Committee for Wildlife, Ecosystem Conservation

Trilateral Monarch Butterfly Protected Area Network

International Fishing - Bottom Trawling,
Bycatch and Sustainable Seafood

Canada Failing To Protect Wildlife

A new report and assessment of species at risk in Canada has been published. Protecting and promoting recovery of species at risk of extinction is a critical component of biodiversity conservation. In Canada, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) determines whether species are at risk of extinction or extirpation, and has conducted these assessments since 1977.

COSEWIC assessments to identify whether at-risk species have been assessed more than once tended to improve, remain constant, or deteriorate in status, as a way of assessing the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation in Canada; 369 species met criteria for examination, 115 deteriorated, 202 remained unchanged, and 52 improved in status.

Only 20 species (5.4%) improved to the point where they were 'not at risk', and five of those were due to increased sampling efforts rather than an increase in population size. Species outcomes were also dependent on the severity of their initial assessment; for example, 47% of species that were initially listed as special concern deteriorated between assessments. After receiving an at-risk assessment by COSEWIC, a species is considered for listing under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), which is the primary national tool that mandates protection for at-risk species.

The Minister of Environment Leona Aglukkaq decides whether or not to list the species under the Species at Risk Act. It is designed to respect "the protection of wildlife species at risk in Canada," according to the Act.

"The government can choose not to list the species even if it needs listing," says Favaro. "That decision takes into account how expensive it would be to protect them."

View December 1, 2014 CNW article
View November 28, 2014 Huffington Post article
View November 28, 2014 CBC News article
View November 17, 2014 PLOS One report

Polar Bears To Be Listed Under SARA

Special concern status is the least critical level of Canada's Species at Risk list. It is an omnibus category for species that are not threatened or endangered, but could become so if the factors threatening them are not reversed.

If approved as a species of concern, a plan would be devised within three years to prevent polar bears from becoming endangered or threatened.

The legislative move comes almost three years after the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife (COSEWIC) recommended the bear needed special attention.

Canada is home to 60 per cent of the world's polar bears and changes in sea ice conditions are wreaking havoc with bear populations.

Aboriginal groups in the North strongly oppose inclusion of the bear under the law, saying populations are growing.

Polar Bear Submission Filed With CEC

"Canada is willfully ignoring the deep trouble that polar bears are already in and the likely extinction they face without rapid cuts in greenhouse emissions. Time is running out for the world's polar bears. They deserve real protection," said Kassie Siegel, director of the CBD's Climate Law Institute

Siegel was instrumental in a winning a ruling to have polar bears listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act June 2011. Her attention has now turned to Canada.

Canada's polar bear population makes up about 60% of the world's total population of 20,000 to 25,000 individuals.

Canada completed its long-overdue assessment of the status of polar bears under SARA November 2011. Instead of listing the imperiled bears as "threatened" or "endangered," the government designated the bears as a "species of special concern," which affords no substantive protections.

"Had Canada fully complied with SARA, the polar bear would have been listed as endangered two and a half years ago, and the species would be protected by a recovery strategy and have identified critical habitat by now," claims CBD.

The CEC Secretariat is reviewing the submission to determine whether it meets the criteria for submissions set out in Article 14 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC). Upon instruction from the CEC Council, the CEC Secretariat may examine a submission further and develop a factual record.

Eco-Justice Awarded $80,000, DFO Appeals

Once a species is listed under the Species at Risk Act, the government is required to identify the habitat the species needs to survive and recover. For the killer whale, DFO first issued a Protection Statement claiming that existing laws, and the exercise of government discretion were enough. The Federal Court disagreed.

"The court ruled that discretionary laws, such as the Fisheries Act, do not sufficiently protect critical habitat of these endangered species," said Keith Ferguson, Ecojustice staff lawyer.

The win ensures stronger legal protection for all of Canada's 90 marine species that are at risk of extinction, but DFO has appealed the decision.

"We're not backing down," said Christianne Wilhelmson, executive director of the Georgia Strait Alliance one of the nine groups represented by eco-justice, after being notified that DFO had appealed the decision in June 2011. "DFO would rather waste its time in court instead of focusing its energy and taxpayer money on protecting habitat for at-risk species that urgently need help to survive and recover," Wilhelmson added.

"DFO is trying to limit the power of the Species at Risk Act, which intends to provide mandatory protection for at-risk species,"added Feguson.

Canadian Biodiversity Report Identifies Ecosystem Risks

The 102 page report presents 22 key findings and voices concern over declines in certain bird populations, increases in wildfire, and significant shifts in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial food webs.

Some key findings identify ecosystems in which natural processes are compromised or increased stresses are reaching critical thresholds. Examples include: fish populations that have not recovered despite removal of fishing pressure; declines in the area and condition of grasslands, where grassland bird populations are dropping sharply; and, fragmented forests that place forest-dwelling caribou at risk.

"What we do know, from a biodiversity trend perspective, is that things have been getting worse - much worse," said Dalhousie University's Jeff Hutchings, who reviewed a draft of the report.

Alberta Grizzlies Listed as Threatened

The designation is based on population research and habitat data, as well as a recommendation from the Alberta Endangered Species Conservation Committee, which includes ranchers, academics, wildlife managers and conservationists.

The committee recommended the Alberta Grizzly bear be listed as threatened in 2002, but the Alberta government instead set about establishing a recovery plan, which took six years to complete.

The Alberta government's Grizzly Bear Status Report released February 2010, estimates there are 691 grizzly bears in the province, compared to 841 in 2000. By contrast, the grizzly bear population in British Columbia is estimated at about 16,000 animals. The Alberta report outlines that cutting down on "human-caused mortality" such as vehicle collisions with bears and "motorized access to habitat" would help stabilize the grizzly population in Alberta.

"We share this province with grizzly bears and are committed to ensuring grizzly bears remain part of Alberta's landscape," states Mel Knight, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. "We have been working directly with stakeholders and the public to reduce human-bear interactions and help control access to habitat. Everyone living, working in or just visiting bear habitat has a role to play in conservation."

Grizzly bears are currently not listed under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA), however the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) lists the Northwestern Grizzly Bears under the designation of Special Concern.

Cod Stocks Classified Endangered

"It's time to hold the federal government accountable to manage, conserve, and develop our fisheries on behalf of Canadians," said Bettina Saier, Director, Oceans, WWF-Canada.

"Although good policy on sustainable fisheries management does exist in Canada, implementation on Atlantic groundfish fisheries has occurred slowly, if at all. Progress is needed to ensure legislative tools to enable rebuilding depleted stocks, such as Atlantic cod, are consistent with those used throughout much of Europe and the United States." (May 3rd, 2010 WWF press release.)

• Rusty-patched Bumble Bee is facing imminent extinction.
• Ontario"s river system has eleven endangered species of freshwater mussels.
• Both species of BC Threespine sticklebacks are endangered.
• Whooping crane has made a slow recovery of only 14 birds in 1938 to nearly 250 at present, despite continuing risks.
• Climate change is increasing risk of extinction for many species—particularly in Western Canada.

COSEWIC presently lists 602 wildlife species as at risk, including 262 Endangered, 151 Threatened, 166 Special Concern, and 23 Extirpated (i.e. no longer found in the wild in Canada). In addition to these wildlife species that are in COSEWIC risk categories, there are 13 wildlife species that are Extinct.

Summaries of assessments are currently available to the public on the COSEWIC website and will be submitted to the Federal Minister of the Environment in late summer 2010 for listing consideration under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). At that time, the full status reports will be publicly available on the SAR Public Registry.