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Kraus D, Murphy S, Armitage D. Ten bridges on the road to recovering Canada’s endangered species. Facets (Ott) 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2020-0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Wildlife is declining around the world. Many developed nations have enacted legislation on endangered species protection and provide funding for wildlife recovery. Protecting endangered species is also supported by the public and judiciary. Yet, despite what appear as enabling conditions, wild species continue to decline. Our paper explores pathways to endangered species recovery by analyzing the barriers that have been identified in Canada, the United States, and Australia. We summarize these findings based on Canada’s Species at Risk Conservation Cycle (assessment, protection, recovery planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation) and then identify 10 “bridges” that could help overcome these barriers and bend our current trajectory of wildlife loss to recovery. These bridges include ecosystem approaches to recovery, building capacity for community co-governance, linking wildlife recovery to ecosystem services, and improving our storytelling about the loss and recovery of wildlife. The focus of our conclusions is the Canadian setting, but our findings can be applied in other national and subnational settings to reverse the decline of wildlife and halt extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kraus
- Faculty of Environment, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Environment 2, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
- Nature Conservancy of Canada, 245 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 410, Toronto, ON M4P 3J1, Canada
| | - Stephen Murphy
- Faculty of Environment, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Environment 2, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Derek Armitage
- Faculty of Environment, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, Environment 2, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
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3
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McCune J, Morrison PD. Conserving plant species at risk in Canada: land tenure, threats, and representation in federal programs. Facets (Ott) 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2019-0014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Fully 37% of species listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA) are plants or lichens. The law does not automatically protect species on private land, and it is unknown how many at-risk plants grow mainly on private land. We analyzed official status reports and related documents for 234 plant species at risk to determine land tenure and evaluated differences in threats and changes in status. We also assessed how well plants were represented in two federal programs: the Natural Areas Conservation Program (NACP) and the Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP). Of SARA-listed plant species, 35% have the majority of their known populations on private land while <10% occur mostly on federal land. Species growing mainly on private land were no more or less likely to decline in status over time compared with others. Plant species at risk were less likely than other taxonomic groups to be found on land protected under the NACP. The proportion of HSP projects targeting plants is well below the expected proportion based on the number of listed species. We recommend that policy-makers promote and prioritize actions to increase the representation of plant species in federally funded programs, especially on private lands.
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Affiliation(s)
- J.L. McCune
- Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Peter D.S. Morrison
- Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
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4
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Coristine LE, Jacob AL, Schuster R, Otto SP, Baron NE, Bennett NJ, Bittick SJ, Dey C, Favaro B, Ford A, Nowlan L, Orihel D, Palen WJ, Polfus JL, Shiffman DS, Venter O, Woodley S. Informing Canada’s commitment to biodiversity conservation: A science-based framework to help guide protected areas designation through Target 1 and beyond. Facets (Ott) 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2017-0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity is intrinsically linked to the health of our planet—and its people. Yet, increasingly, human activities are causing the extinction of species, degrading ecosystems, and reducing nature’s resilience to climate change and other threats. As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada has a legal responsibility to protect 17% of land and freshwater by 2020. Currently, Canada has protected ∼10% of its terrestrial lands, requiring a marked increase in the pace and focus of protection over the next three years. Given the distribution, extent, and geography of Canada’s current protected areas, systematic conservation planning would provide decision-makers with a ranking of the potential for new protected area sites to stem biodiversity loss and preserve functioning ecosystems. Here, we identify five key principles for identifying lands that are likely to make the greatest contribution to reversing biodiversity declines and ensuring biodiversity persistence into the future. We identify current gaps and integrate principles of protecting ( i) species at risk, ( ii) representative ecosystems, ( iii) intact wilderness, ( iv) connectivity, and ( v) climate refugia. This spatially explicit assessment is intended as an ecological foundation that, when integrated with social, economic and governance considerations, would support evidence-based protected area decision-making in Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E. Coristine
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Aerin L. Jacob
- Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, 200-1350 Railway Ave., Canmore, AB T1W 1P6, Canada
| | - Richard Schuster
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Sarah P. Otto
- Biodiversity Research Centre & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Nancy E. Baron
- COMPASS, National Center of Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State St. Santa Barbara, CA 93103, USA
| | - Nathan J. Bennett
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Sarah Joy Bittick
- Biodiversity Research Centre & Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Cody Dey
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Drive, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Brett Favaro
- School of Fisheries, Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, 155 Ridge Road, St. John’s, NL A1C 5R3, Canada
| | - Adam Ford
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia - Okanagan Campus, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Linda Nowlan
- West Coast Environmental Law, 200-2006 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6J 2B3, Canada
| | - Diane Orihel
- School of Environmental Studies and Department of Biology, Queen’s University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - Wendy J. Palen
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Jean L. Polfus
- Biology Department, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - David S. Shiffman
- Earth to Ocean Research Group, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
| | - Oscar Venter
- Natural Resource and Environmental Studies Institute, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9, Canada
| | - Stephen Woodley
- IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, 64 Chemin Juniper, Chelsea, QC J9B 1T3, Canada
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Scheele BC, Legge S, Armstrong DP, Copley P, Robinson N, Southwell D, Westgate MJ, Lindenmayer DB. How to improve threatened species management: An Australian perspective. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 223:668-675. [PMID: 29975894 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.06.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2018] [Revised: 05/25/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Targeted threatened species management is a central component of efforts to prevent species extinction. Despite the development of a range of management frameworks to improve conservation outcomes over the past decade, threatened species management is still commonly characterised as ad hoc. Although there are notable successes, many management programs are ineffective, with relatively few species experiencing improvements in their conservation status. We identify underlying factors that commonly lead to ineffective and inefficient management. Drawing attention to some of the key challenges, and suggesting ways forward, may lead to improved management effectiveness and better conservation outcomes. We highlight six key areas where improvements are needed: 1) stakeholder engagement and communication; 2) fostering strong leadership and the development of achievable long-term goals; 3) knowledge of target species' biology and threats, particularly focusing on filling knowledge gaps that impede management, while noting that in many cases there will be a need for conservation management to proceed initially despite knowledge gaps; 4) setting objectives with measurable outcomes; 5) strategic monitoring to evaluate management effectiveness; and 6) greater accountability for species declines and failure to recover species to ensure timely action and guard against complacency. We demonstrate the importance of these six key areas by providing examples of innovative approaches leading to successful species management. We also discuss overarching factors outside the realm of management influence that can help or impede conservation success. Clear recognition of factors that make species' management more straightforward - or more challenging - is important for setting realistic management objectives, outlining strategic action, and prioritising resources. We also highlight the need to more clearly demonstrate the benefit of current investment, and communicate that the risk of under-investment is species extinctions. Together, improvements in conservation practice, along with increased resource allocation and re-evaluation of the prioritisation of competing interests that threaten species, will help enhance conservation outcomes for threatened species.
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Affiliation(s)
- B C Scheele
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Australia.
| | - S Legge
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Australia
| | - D P Armstrong
- Wildlife Ecology Group, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - P Copley
- Parks and Regions, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, South Australia, Australia
| | - N Robinson
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Australia
| | - D Southwell
- National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Australia; Quantitative and Applied Ecology Group, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - M J Westgate
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - D B Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; National Environmental Science Programme, Threatened Species Recovery Hub, Australia
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