Species recovery

The recovery of a specie in the wild is impossible without the recovery of the ecosystem components and processes that provide the habitat for its survival. The major national recovery program for endangered species in Canada is called RENEW, the committee on the REcovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife. RENEW was established in 1988 by the Wildlife Ministers' Council of Canada as a response to the growing number of endangered species in Canada. The committee includes federal, provincial and territorial wildlife agencies along with several non-governmental organizations (the Canadian Nature Federation, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Wildlife Habitat Canada). For the period 1988-1998, the combined funding for RENEW from all sources totalled over $27 million.

The committee has the following national objectives:

• No endangered species in Canada will be allowed to become extirpated or extinct;
• No new species will be allowed to become threatened or up-listed to endangered;
• When and where possible, extirpated species will be reintroduced to Canada;
• Recovery plans will be prepared for all threatened and endangered species;
• Recovery programs will be initiated, where feasible, to work towards removing species from threatened, endangered, or extirpated status.

At present, the RENEW committee's activities focus primarily on the protection and recovery of terrestrial vertebrates, which includes mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. However, the scope of activities is expanding and now includes an ecosystem recovery team and will soon include recovery teams for other biota, such as plants. Wildlife experts are also considering several new recovery approaches such as threat-abatement and multiple species recovery planning. Essential to species recovery efforts is the rehabilitation of suitable habitat conditions that will enable a species to exist.

Since 1988 the committee (which overall has brought 50 species under its mandate) has approved recovery plans for 19 species. Two species have since been down-listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) (ferruginous hawk and tundra peregrine falcon) and two have been de-listed (Baird's sparrow and prairie long-tailed weasel), leaving the number of extirpated, endangered and threatened terrestrial vertebrates at 46 as of March 31, 1998. Of these, recovery teams are currently functioning for 33 species.

Tax incentives

The Ecological Gifts Program, initiated in 1995, permits private and corporate landowners to receive preferential tax treatment of donations of ecologically sensitive lands, conservation easements, covenants and servitudes to registered environmental charities, municipalities and Crown agencies. This program is administered under the Income Tax Acts of Canada and Quebec by Environment Canada in cooperation with provincial and non-government organizations.

Over the 1995-early 1999 period, over 90 tax-deductible gifts were completed with national organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and provincially based Conservation Authorities and land trusts, covering almost 10,500 ha of unique or endangered habitats such as wetlands grasslands, ocean shores and forests. Many of these sites are habitat for endangered species as well. The total value of these gifts exceeded $25 million.

Wetland Conservation

Wetland conservation is important particularly in the human dominated ecozones of southern Canada where native wetlands have been largely drained or otherwise altered. Wetland conservation is occurring through private and public efforts. The largest wetland conservation initiative is the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), an agreement originally signed in 1986 by Canada and the United States and updated in 1994 to include Mexico. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan is an innovative partnership program implemented and financed through joint venture partnerships involving federal, state, and provincial/territorial government agencies, non-government organizations, the private sector, and landowners. All provinces and territories are represented.

NAWMP aims to restore waterfowl populations in North America to 1970ís levels by securing, enhancing, and managing wetland and upland habitat across the continent. A major objective of NAWMP is to achieve and maintain a breeding population of 62 million ducks which could produce a fall flight of 100 million waterfowl. The Plan also aims at maintaining wintering populations of 6 million geese and 152,000 swans. In Canada alone, the goal is to secure and enhance a minimum of 2 million hectares of wetlands, the majority in the Prairie ecozone. By the end of 1996, 28 percent of NAWMP's habitat objectives in Canada had been met. Over half a million hectares of wetlands and uplands habitat were secured and enhanced in Canada and an additional 2 million hectares had their use modified to support the objectives of NAWMP.

Although the primary focus of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan is the conservation of wetlands and upland habitat to support waterfowl populations, activities benefit a range of other resources such as water, plants and other wildlife species. For example, NAWMP conservation activities make a substantial contribution to the health of the entire ecosystem, including endangered species such as the piping plover.

Sustainable agriculture

The agricultural sector is increasingly aware of the link between the long term sustainability of agriculture and the protection of ecosystems, especially soil, water and wildlife. Federal and provincial agricultural agencies have policies that embrace a sustainable approach to managing agricultural lands. Many farmers now use measures such as conservation tillage that reduces erosion and help maintains a diversity or organisms in the soil. Pesticides are regulated and applied such that the toxic effects on non-target species are reduced, minimize the runoff of fertilizers into water bodies, and the land is worked with minimal disturbance to the breeding requirements of wildlife.

Sustainable forestry

The forest industry is an active player in the conservation and sustainability of forested ecosystems. Under long-term agreements (typically 20-25 years) with provincial governments that spell out how the forested land will be managed, forest companies develop long term management plans and shorter term operating plans. These plans include consideration of a wide variety of ecological values including the conservation and protection of water and soil, preserving habitats of species, allowing for alternate economic uses and aesthetics values. In attempting to maintain biodiversity, foresters try to replicate natural disturbance patterns, and planning corridors that join similar landscape patterns. These measures can help preserve all components and essential functions of the forested ecosystem.

Sustainable fisheries

Conservation of marine ecosystems is a relatively recent development. The Oceans Act passed in 1997, contains provisions which will help preserve marine ecosystems including their biotic and non-biotic components. A key aspect of the Oceans Act is Integrated Management (IM). IM is a continuous planning process in which interested parties, stakeholders and regulators reach general agreement on the best mix of conservation, sustainable resource use and economic development for coastal and marine areas. Goals to be achieved through an IM process in Canada include conservation, sustainable use, and economic diversification.

Conservation of the marine and coastal environment through the designation of protected areas is a more recent concept than the protection of terrestrial resources and environments. Initiatives to protect the marine environment in Canada have evolved over the last 30 years. At the federal level, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is the newest partner in marine protected areas. Both Parks Canada and Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service) have developed programs to protect those aspects of marine ecosystems that fall within their mandates.

In addition, Marine Ecosystem Health norms (guidelines, objectives and criteria) are being developed to assist planners design integrated management plans which provide for the sustainability of the ecosystem supporting ocean related activities. Marine Ecosystem Health refers to physical, chemical and biological conditions used to measure the health of marine ecosystems. These norms are not designed to protect a single resource but rather the whole of the ecosystem.