Province needs to protect ecosystems that cross borders: Study says

The B.C. government needs to work harder to protect ecosystems, such as the antelope-brush ecosystem in the Osoyoos area, which cross political boundaries, a recently released study of endangered species in the province states.

On the Edge: British Columbia’s Unprotected Transboundary Species was released by the David Suzuki Foundation, Ecojustice and Conservation Northwest, three environment-focused organizations from Canada and the U.S., in September.
The study stated that 42 per cent of all species in B.C. that cross borders such as the Canada-U.S. boundary are at risk and that due to an “inadequate patchwork of laws and policies,” more than 1,900 species face extinction or extirpation in the province.Most of the species living in B.C. such as birds, bears and wolves travel in and out of the province, the study found.

These “transboundary” species make up 96 per cent of British Columbia’s biodiversity and the study states that “only nine per cent of transboundary species at risk have legal protection under the federal Species at Risk Act or BC Forests and Range Practices Act or BC Wildlife Act.”
But because environmental protection policies might differ between provinces or countries, many of these species face challenges when it comes to maintaining healthy levels of biodiversity.

“Animals and plants do not recognize the political and administrative boundaries that separate and fragment their habitat,” the study states. “These boundaries segregate ecosystems and split the habitat of species into different parts that are often managed by different governments with very different goals in mind.
“For example, one jurisdiction might be attempting to maintain a particular species by creating parks or other legal protections for it, while a neighbouring jurisdiction may allow continued exploitation of the species (e.g. , hunting) or destruction of its habitat right up to the border.”
In the case of animals, the study states, having fewer mates to choose from in an area due to human-made borders can potentially damage a species’ gene pool.
The study looked at several ecosystems in B.C. that cross provincial and international borders including the South Okanagan’s antelope-brush ecosystem.
This ecosystem is located in B.C. and small areas of Washington state and Idaho and is home to a number of at-risk species such as the night snake, Parowan tiger beetle and Nuttall’s cottontail, a species of rabbit.

“Due to human impacts, it is now considered one of four most endangered ecosystems in all of Canada,” the study states.

Since it is estimated that only 3,154 hectares of the antelope-brush ecosystem remains in B.C., down from roughly 10,050 in 1860, and at least 88 species living in this area are now either gone or at risk of disappearing from this province, it is “imperative that B.C. legally protect its share in order to ensure that this transboundary ecosystem persists in Canada, that existing cross-border connections are maintained, and to allow for the future of restoring lost connections,” the study states.

Part of the antelope-brush ecosystem in the South Okanagan, including grasslands west of Osoyoos, is being considered for inclusion in a possible national park in the area.
The study concluded that “without transboundary species and peripheral populations, significant parts of B.C.’s biodiversity would be lost, jeopardizing the healthy functioning of many ecosystems and the provision of critical ecosystem services that sustain the wellbeing of British Columbians.

“If we want to maintain this biodiversity, B.C. should take new action that includes: enacting new legislation to protect ecosystems and the species they contain and adding additional protected areas to ensure habitat connectivity and the capacity to adapt to global warming.”

Peripheral populations are those B.C. species that also have ranges outside the province and the study states that such populations are important as they “contain unique genetic characteristics and can provide the source from which species will adapt to global warming.”

Because British Columbia “currently lacks effective legislation in the province to protect (ecosystems and species in peril) and the habitat they require in order to survive and recover,” the study lays out several recommendations for the government to help transboundary species.

These include enacting a Species and Ecosystem Protection Act “that identifies species and ecosystems at risk and then provides for their protection and recovery, including habitat protection” and keeping ecosystems connected across borders by creating new parks and protected areas so that species can share genes.