Federal Government Must Prevent Extinction of Sage-Grouse in Canada

The stunning Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus urophasianus) is facing extinction in Canada. It could disappear from Alberta within a year if action for its protection is not taken immediately.

Today, through a legal petition issued on our behalf by Ecojustice, Nature Canada called on the federal Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Peter Kent, to recommend that Cabinet issue an emergency order to prevent further degradation of Greater Sage-grouse critical habitat and take the necessary measures to ensure the survival of this iconic species.

We are joined in this effort by 11 other conservation organizations, including our partners in the Canadian Nature Network, Nature Alberta, Nature Saskatchewan, Grassland Naturalists and Lethbridge Naturalists Society, as well as our US partner in BirdLife International, the National Audubon Society-Rockies.

We're also calling on the public to send letters in support of immediate action to save the Sage-grouse.

The Canadian population of Sage-grouse declined by almost 90 per cent between 1988 and 2006. By 2010, there were only 42 males at 2 active breeding grounds or “leks” in Saskatchewan. In Alberta, there are thought to be only 13 males remaining with the total provincial population estimated at approximately 30 birds in 2011.

The alarming population decline of Greater Sage-grouse demands immediate attention both to prevent the species from disappearing from Canada and because of what it tells us about the mounting habitat degradation in Canada’s grasslands. In Alberta, only 30% of native grasslands remain. Less than 2% of Alberta's grasslands natural region is protected, yet it supports 70% of the mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian species at risk in that province. Greater Sage-grouse are indicators of the health of Canada’s shrub-steppe and Great Plains ecosystems. Measures taken to protect and restore sage-grouse habitat will benefit many other species at risk including: Burrowing Owl, Swift Fox, Badger, Sprague’s Pipit and Great Plains Toad.

The Greater Sage-grouse has long been the subject of fascination and research because of its elaborate and spectacular courtship displays. In early spring, males congregate in large numbers at areas referred to as leks to perform their annual courtship rituals. The male's notorious "strutting display" is described as a series of forward struts, "wing swishes", inflations and deflations of the throat sac while making popping and whistling sounds, fanning out of its tail and erecting its head plumes while throwing its head back and forth.

Females rear their young on their own with no help from males. The average clutch size ranges from six to nine eggs and the incubation period is 25 to 29 days. The Greater Sage-grouse's young are precocial, meaning they leave the nest soon after hatching.

The Greater Sage-grouse reside in warm, dry, grasslands, as sagebrush, which grows in the described area, is their main food source. Although young and adult birds will feed on other plant species and some insects in the summertime, sagebrush consists of 47-60% of the adult bird's diet in the summer and 100% in the winter.

Sage-grouse need large blocks of unfragmented sagebrush grassland habitat to thrive. Their range in Canada has been reduced to only 6% of its historic extent because of loss and degradation of this habitat. Sage-grouse are now found only in the southeast corner of Alberta and southwest corner of Saskatchewan.

Sage-grouse are highly sensitive to disturbance. Recent scientific research suggests that rapid encroachment of oil and gas development on the areas where Sage-grouse spend the winter, breed, nest and raise their young is the leading factor in their extreme population drop. ­

Alberta and Saskatchewan each have a Wildlife Act and voluntary guidelines for energy development near sage-grouse habitat, but provincial protections are so lax that Sage-grouse continue to decline.

Under section 80 of Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA), the federal Cabinet has the power to make an emergency order to protect important habitat of an endangered species anywhere in Canada. The emergency order can prohibit any activities that may harm the species or the habitat necessary for its survival or recovery. Under SARA, the federal environment Minister has a mandatory duty to recommend that Cabinet make an emergency order if he or she is of the opinion that the species faces “imminent threats to its survival or recovery”.

In addition to seeking federal protection for sage-grouse under SARA, we are calling on the oil and gas industry to voluntarily provide sage-grouse with the protection they need. You can learn more about Greater Sage-grouse, read our petition and send a letter to Environment Minister Peter Kent asking for immediate emergency action to prevent this shameful extinction!

Unlikely Partnership Paves the Way for Grasslands Conservation

Fernando Adauto is a cattle producer in Lavras and a key figure in leading collaborations between cattle producers and conservation groups

Grasslands are arguably the most threatened ecosystem globally. In North America less than 20 percent of native grasslands remain intact. The Southern Cone of South America has seen the conversion to agriculture, plantations or urbanization of around 50% of its grasslands and conversion continues at an alarming rate. Grasslands biodiversity, including birds, and the gaucho culture are at risk.

Cattle born and raised on natural grasslands

But an unlikely partnership between local producers and conservationists is trying to turn this around.

I had the opportunity this past week to participate in the fifth gathering of the Alliance for the Grasslands, known as the Encuentro de Ganaderos de Pastizales Naturales (Gathering of Natural Pasture Cattle Producers) in the town of Lavras do Sul, in southern Brazil.

These unique Encuentros have been bringing together Aves Argentinas, SAVE Brasil, Guyra Paraguay and Aves Uruguay - the BirdLife Partners from the region - with a growing number of landowners, experts, government officials and other groups and individuals interested in the conservation of natural grasslands, biodiversity and the traditional gaucho way of life.

Among the many ambitious and exciting projects of the Alliance is a certification system for beef produced on native grasslands, for which they've agreed on the overall guidelines and are working out the implementation details. The Alliance is also working with rice producers and on recognizing the ecosystem services provided by natural grasslands and providing economic incentives to conserve them.

As it celebrates five years of these Encuentros, the Alliance asked Nature Canada to carry out an evaluation of its progress. I had the opportunity to do this analysis and participate in the V Encuentro to share the preliminary findings and conduct a workshop to gather feedback from participants. I hope that this evaluation will be helpful to the Alliance in identifying gaps, opportunities and in planning its priority actions for the coming years.

I led a workshop with producers to gather feedback on the preliminary evaluation findings where participants identified the need to bring technical expertise to producers so can they improve the productivity of ranches based on natural pastures. The group has proposed creating an international training program to build on and share existing knowledge and know how.

Facilitating a workshop with ranchers from the Pampas of South America

At the same time, the exercise has been a fabulous opportunity to learn about this groundbreaking initiative supported by the BirdLife partnership and for bringing lessons back to North America.

Nature Canada, along with our BirdLife partners National Audubon in the US, and Pronatura in Mexico are looking forward to taking part in a project of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation that seeks to strengthen links in support of healthy ecosystems and communities in the grasslands of North America.

Many of these efforts will benefit the same birds because many of "our" declining grassland birds (including Bobolink and Swainson's hawk, to name but two) migrate to the grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America.

An opportunity still exists to save the grasslands of the Americas, but we urgently need to step up the effort. Despite the many challenges, the Alliance of the Grasslands of the Southern Cone of South America gives me hope that we can do this both in North and South America!

Death Threat Received by Opponent of Bedford Biofuels Tana Delta Project

We have been reporting on developments in the Kenyan Tana Delta related to a proposed Jatropha plantation by the Canadian company Bedford Biofuels. We stand with our BirdLife partner Nature Kenya in their concerns about the environmental and social impacts of this project. Over a month ago, we wrote to the Canadian government about our concerns, but we have not heard back.

Now, we are even more concerned to hear alarming news that opposition to the project is being met with violence in the form of a death threat, currently under investigation by the Kenyan police. From BirdLife International:

Mr. Hajj Idris Bakero, a religious leader in Garsen Division, received death threats, presumably for his opposition to a jatropha project in the area.

On September 9th 2011, his wife Hamida Kori found a black plastic bag at the main gate to her compound, in it was petrol in a small plastic bag, four rounds of ammunition for an M16 Gun, and a warning note.


Translated, the note warned the cleric not to continue “barking “about the project or else “these four bullets will get into your body, we will burn your wife and children with petrol so that your name disappears forever.” This threat has now been reported to the Kenyan Police.

Find out more here. And stay tuned.

Climate Negotiations and Justice for Vulnerable Populations

Volunteer inspects trees at a tree nursery in Oviedo, Dominican Republic

On Monday I had the opportunity to spend the day at a learning conference that Nature Canada, as a member of the Canadian Coalition on Climate Change and Development (C4D), helped organize.

C4D brings together many of Canada's development and environmental organizations around climate change adaptation, financing and other climate change issues that affect our partners in developing countries. Nature Canada participates in C4D primarily because our integrated conservation and development work cannot ignore climate change and to advocate for the protection of nature and ecosystem-based approaches in climate change adaptation policy and action.

This year, C4D decided to learn more about REDD - the mechanism that is being negotiated internationally to reduce emission from deforestation and forest degradation - and about the debates around its potential impact on small farmers, indigenous peoples and other marginalized and vulnerable people. Earlier this year we held a small learning session about REDD and on Monday 4 panels of fabulous speakers from Canada and the South helped us learn and reflect on the upcoming meeting of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban in November and the upcoming Rio + 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012; REDD and other financing mechanism for mitigation; the role of agriculture; and the opportunities for Canadian civil society organizations around these international fora.

I am still taking all this in, but I heard a few clear messages:

1. Governments are not listening to scientists and are not acting on the opportunity to keep climate change below the level that may avert great human and ecosystem harm (an average increase of less than 1.5 degrees Celsius) before it is too late

2. The most vulnerable, including women, will suffer the most: climate change is a social justice issue, and developed countries need to fund and support adaptation. We need to build RESILIENCE

3. Social and local mobilization are sources of hope, as are, potentially, municipal and provincial governments

4. Upcoming meetings promise little if any progress; but we need to avoid bad decisions, particularly on agriculture, technology transfers and forests

5. Every effort to support action on climate change mitigation and adaptation counts: we can't give up!

Learn more, talk to others, talk to your government, mobilize!

The conference was organized by C4D in collaboration with the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) Africa Canada Forum and Asia Pacific Working Group and Canadian Food Security Policy Group. It was possible thanks to the support of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, CARE Canada, CCIC with support from the International Development Research Centre, and the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

Reading suggestions, more detail on the conference and a related public event held Monday night are available here.

A webcast of the conference will be available soon. Check back on this blog for the link.

Want to know more about Nature Canada's work in developing countries? Check out our projects in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Engaged Youth A Promise for Sustainability: Happy 15th Birthday to Jaragua Summer Camp!

Nature Canada, with the support of the Canadian International Development Agency and working with BirdLife, proudly supports our partner in Hispaniola, Gupo Jaragua, in their work to improve peoples livelihoods and conserve biodiversity and natural resources.

One of the key components of this efforts is the Jaragua Summer Camp, which has been engaging youth on a path to sustainability for 15 years this summer. Join us celebrating Grupo Jaragua's success!

Bedford Biofuels Continue to Threaten Tana Delta

On 7 September we told you about the threats to Kenya’s Tana River Delta Important Bird Area from plans by the Canadian company Bedford Biofuels to establish a jatropha (biofuel) plantation. Since our post Bedford has been in touch to express their disagreement with our criticism of their project (see the comment posted). However, our concerns continue. Nature Canada has written to the Canadian government to bring our concerns to their attention and find out whether the government is supporting this project. We will let you know their response.

In the meantime, here is a summary of the latest information provided by our BirdLife partners at Nature Kenya:

At the start of this week Bedford Biofuels and Nature Kenya met in Nairobi. Bedford was accompanied by their lawyer and more than 20 people from the Delta supporting the Bedford proposal. However unfortunately despite a long (around 5 hour) and at times rather tense meeting Bedford was not prepared to recognize the concerns of Nature Kenya and others from the Delta or willing to respect the land use planning process under way.

In summary, Nature Kenya and others are worried that jatropha is untested, that Kenya has yet to adopt a biofuels policy and that 10,000 ha is too big to be a pilot. Also that the proposed project is within the very sensitive Delta floodplain and that there needs to be a land use plan for the Delta in place to provide a strategic framework before individual large-scale developments proceed. For all these reasons Nature Kenya is maintaining their challenge to the Bedford consent and hoping that the Kenyan Government will act on NEMA (the National Environment Management Authority) advice to cancel the Bedford consent.

It is very encouraging to see the land-use planning process for the Delta now firmly underway. Between 14-17 September around 65 participants took part in a high-level meeting in Malindi to discuss the need for a strategic plan for the Delta. The Kenyan Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) hosted the meeting with NEMA and Nature Kenya jointly providing the Secretariat. It was attended by representatives from key Kenyan government ministries and agencies including NEMA, the Ministries of Finance, Lands, Agriculture, Environment and Mineral Resources, Water and Irrigation, Fisheries, Kenya Forest Services, Kenya Wildlife Service, TARDA (Tana and Athi River Development Authority), together with NGOs, media and international experts in the fields of land use and delta planning and environmental assessment. The meeting included a workshop plus a field visit into the Delta to provide the opportunity for participants to see the Delta and speak to the local people to understand the issues first hand.

The meeting closed by adopting a Communiqué of the Inter-Ministerial Consultative Meeting on the sustainable development of Deltas in Kenya. This confirmed the launch of the Tana Delta planning initiative, including agreement on a road map leading to the long-term sustainable development of the remarkable Tana River Delta in ways that will provide for economic prosperity, stable social conditions and lasting environmental quality.

Specifically the meeting agreed:

• To the establishment of a local Tana Delta planning process which will be steered by a local committee (the Planning Implementation Committee) and will involve a combination of strategic planning and strategic environmental assessment (SEA)


• The output will be a long-term strategic land use plan representing a ‘truly sustainable’ future to the Delta.


• That this process will combine scientific, economic, social and environmental evaluation tools alongside extensive public participation and will be a collaborative exercise involving all relevant government ministries and agencies, counties, districts and communities, Civil Society and NGOs, International Partners and investors


• The process will take place over the next 18 months, with the support of DFID (UKAid).

Things are now moving quickly with the Inter-Ministerial meeting scheduled to meet again on Tuesday 27 September to discuss the terms of reference for the SEA. This is exciting news.

Foundations for Sustainable Livelihoods in Cuba's Turquino-La Bayamesa

Turquino, Sierra Maestra-photo by CNAP

Nature Canada believes in a flyways approach to the conservation of migratory birds. To that end, for the past two years, we have supported integrated conservation and development efforts by our BirdLife partners in key Caribbean biodiversity areas where "Canadian" migratory birds, like the Bicknell's Thrush, spend the winter.

You've read about our successes in Haiti's Macaya and in the Dominican Republic's Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo. In Cuba, our partner, the National Protected Areas Commission (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Protegidas-CNAP) has also been working to establish ecotourism, tree nurseries and agroforestry plots in an area that was once as critical to the Cuban revolution as it is today to biodiversity. Find out what we're accomplishing.

This work is supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Bedford Biofuels Threatens Kenya's Tana Delta

Aleksey Dorofeev via Flickr

Nature Canada is concerned that a Canadian company – Bedford Biofuels – plans plans to set up a jatropha tree plantation in Kenya's Tana Delta, an area that provides refuge for 350 bird species. When we learned of the Calgary-based company's plans last year, we contacted the company to discuss the potential impacts on biodiversity of the proposed project. The company did not respond to our letter, but recent developments make us hopeful that Bedford Biofuels will abandon this project. The latest news from our BirdLife colleagues in Kenya is as follows:

A Nairobi newspaper reports that, after consideration of the scientific evidence, Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has decided to advise the Kenyan Government to halt the planting of the biofuel crop jatropha within the Coast region of Kenya. Proposed jatropha plantations would do irreparable damage to coastal Important Bird Areas (IBAs), including the Tana Delta and Dakatcha Woodlands.

The reported decision has been applauded by BirdLife Partner NatureKenya, which has been fighting a vigorous campaign against the destruction of woodland and other coastal habitats to make room for biofuel crops. NatureKenya also provided much of the evidence on which NEMA’s decision was based, especially recent research which has cast doubt on the supposed benefits of jatropha as a “green” alternative to fossil fuels. Scientific studies now recommend growing jatropha only as a hedge or living fence.

Even before NEMA’s decision, a company planning to grow oil seed crops on 28,000 hectares of the Tana Delta pulled out after consultations with NatureKenya and other BirdLife Partners, citing concerns over environmental impacts and long-term climate change effects.

In July, two directors of NEMA were suspended after accusations that they had acted irregularly in granting a licence to the Canadian company Bedford Biofuels to grow jatropha on a 10,000 hectare “pilot” site in the Tana Delta. According to the Nairobi press, NEMA’s Chairman, Mr Francis Ole Kaparo, said that the licence had been awarded in spite of mounting scientific evidence which has exposed the claims made for jatropha as false. “There is nothing to prove jatropha is viable. In fact, all evidence shows it has failed,” Mr Kaparo is quoted as saying.

NEMA has advised the Kenyan government to cancel Bedford’s licence, but the company is challenging the cancellation. Bedford’s local representatives have organised demonstrations in favour of the jatropha plantations, which have been described as an attempt to “intimidate” the authorities.

“We congratulate the NEMA Chairman, Mr Francis Ole Kaparo, the NEMA Director General Dr Ayub Macharia, and NEMA technical staff for their wise decision”, said NatureKenya CEO Paul Matiku. “NEMA is on the right path to sustainable development, by using science to avoid irreversible environmental, social and economic costs. We hope the Ministry will follow this advice and cancel Bedford Biofuel’s licence for a ‘pilot’ of 10,000 hectares of jatropha at Tana, and that this wise decision has been made clear to Kenya Jatropha Energy Limited at Dakatcha.”

He added: “Globally, biofuel crops, originally viewed as substitutes for climate-damaging fossil fuels, have replaced food crops and natural habitats, leading to rising food prices and loss of critical wildlife habitats and ecosystem services.”

The Tana Delta has long provided local communities with food and livelihoods. Its value to the nation includes ecosystem services such as water storage, shoreline protection and marine life spawning grounds. It also has huge tourism potential. But as demand for land to grow commodity crops has increased globally, the Tana Delta has become the focus of interest for international speculators and investors.

“Over the last decade, conflicts have been increasing in the Tana Delta as the demands for competing land uses, natural resources, nature conservation and community interests have intensified,” said Paul Matiku. “It is for this reason that NatureKenya and stakeholders, led by the Office of the Prime Minister, are initiating a combination of strategic planning and integrated assessment to develop a long term General Management Plan.”

Bedford Biofuels commented on September 13, 2011:

Recently, articlessuch as this, riddled with misleading errors and false accusations have beencirculating regarding Bedford Biofuels’ 10,000 ha Jatropha biofuel project inthe Tana Delta Region of Eastern Kenya. These articles were published withoutinput from Bedford. Bedford also did not recieve correspondence from NatureCanada before this post was published.

Contrary to what is being reported by Nature Kenya, Bedford’s license to planthas not been revoked. The EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) license wasissued to Bedford on May 25, 2011 by NEMA (National Environment ManagementAuthority)Kenya and remains in effect. Nursery preparations began in July andthe Jatropha seedlings will be transplanted starting in November.

Nature Kenya has also erroneously reported that Bedford intends to plantJatropha in the delta area of the Tana Delta Region, which is causing concernbecause of the delta’s biodiversity and ecological importance. First andforemost, in order to obtain its license from NEMA, Bedford had to complete anEnvironmental Impact Assessment of the Tana Delta Region which includedthorough research pertaining to the wildlife, existing flora and soilconditions. Approval of the EIA License was granted under the condition thatBedford agrees to abstain from planting in the delta.

Second, Jatropha will not grow in flood plains or areas of standing water suchas a delta, it thrives in semi-arid to arid conditions. In order to maximizeour yields, Bedford has engaged the world’s leading experts in Jatropha and hasa team of agronomists experienced in growing Jatropha to advise the optimalgrowing conditions and location for Bedford’s Jatropha project.
Lastly, Bedford is an advocate of conserving the environment and is currentlyworking alongside the Lower Tana Delta Conservation Trust to ensure that thedelta area is preserved and the local community’s standard of living isimproved.

Nature Kenya has also been vocalizing it’s skepticism about the benefits ofJatropha as a “green” alternative to fossil fuels and recommends that Jatrophashould only be grown as a hedge or living fence. This makes sense if you are atrying to prevent a Jatropha project from coming to fruition, but I am certainthe many scientists, multinational organizations and governments around theworld who have invested tens of millions of dollars into the research ofJatropha as a sustainable and viable biofuel feedstock would strongly disagree.NASA, for instance, has flown Jatropha to space to test the impact of zerogravity on its growth; the international airline, Lufthansa, is using Jatrophabased jet fuel on daily commercial flights; China has earmarked 13 millionhectares to grow Jatropha to help reduce their dependence on foreign oil;Jatropha has properties that can be used in the production of pain killers andother medications; and above all, it produces a clean oil that is superior tofossil fuel – an oil that is not derived from a food crop, but from a non-foodbiofuel. This is the evolution of biofuel.

Part of Bedford’s mandate is to educate people about our intentions to employlocals and to bring food security and improved quality of life to the region.We are doing it all by the book and we certainly don’t want to be implicated inallegations of irresponsible management and unfair practices.

White-headed Woodpecker needs BC Ponderosa Pines Protected

The White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus) is a small woodpecker that relies on coniferous forests throughout its range. In Canada, they are found exclusively in old growth Ponderosa Pine stands in southern British Columbia. White-headed Woodpeckers use these trees for nesting and feed on their cones.

The White-headed Woodpecker is listed as ‘Endangered’ under the Species at Risk Act. This law obligates the Environment Minister to prepare a Recovery Strategy for species listed as Endangered or Threatened and identify critical habitat, to the extent possible based on available information.

There is relatively little knowledge about this species in Canada. The population of White-headed Woodpecker is thought to be no larger than 100 individuals and was recently estimated at only 10 individuals. There have been very few observations in the past ten years.

One thing that is known, however, is that habitat loss is a major threat to the survival and recovery of this species in Canada. The draft Recovery Strategy sets out the studies needed to understand and protect the species and its habitat and also describes measures to address the effects of past habitat loss. Pending these studies no critical habitat is identified, but plans to do so in an action plan are proposed for 2016.

Nature Canada, in collaboration with the David Suzuki Foundation, recently commented on the government’s draft Recovery Strategy. We have encouraged the government to be more precautionary in their approach by:

1. Protecting remaining ponderosa pine stands while the research is completed and critical habitat is formally identified;

2. Addressing ongoing habitat loss and degradation so that the remaining critical habitat doesn’t disappear before it can be identified and protected under the law; and

3. Adjusting the proposed timelines so that the identification of critical habitat and the completion of an action plan occur no later than a year after the final recovery strategy is published, which should happen soon, once the government has reviewed the comments received during this public consultation on the draft strategy.

Learn more about the White-headed Woodpecker and read our comments.

Court victory for caribou in Alberta!

Boreal Woodland Caribou are listed as Threatened under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). A recovery strategy, including the identification of critical habitat, was due in 2004. The herds in Alberta are particularly endangered as their habitat continues to disappear and degrade due to tar sands development. Fortunately, a court last week ordered the Minister of Environment to protect Woodland Caribou. The court concluded the minister's decision to deny emergency protection under the SARA had no basis and set a Sept 1st, 2011 deadline for Minister Kent to release a draft recovery strategy for the species.

This court decision was the result of lawsuits brought by Ecojustice on behalf of the Alberta Wilderness Association and the Pembina Institute, and by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, the Beaver Lake Cree Nation and the Enoch Cree Nation. Read more about the case here and here.

This is one more in a series of court decisions ordering the government to implement the Species at Risk Act. Let's hope no more court cases are needed; we need urgent action to protect caribou and other species at risk.

Conserving Nature, Empowering Women in Paraguay

Paraguayan farmer (left) proudly presents her produce with Carla Sbert, Nature Canada manager of conservation programs and legal issues

Nature Canada is very proud to have successfully completed our latest project in Paraguay, where we helped nearly 500 women farmers in four rural communities to increase their food security, improve their health and strengthen their awareness of their own democratic rights.

We worked in conjunction with our BirdLife International partner, Guyra Paraguay, the Gatineau-based Place aux agricultrices : nurricieres du monde (who invited Nature Canada into the project as a “sponsor” due to our international experience), and the Paraguay social development organization Fortaleser.

What does this have to do with nature conservation?

Many of the women in this project live in or adjacent to the buffer zone of the San Rafael Reserve and the San Rafael Important Bird Area (IBA), a place that contains one of the last large remnants of the endangered Atlantic Forest in Paraguay. Guyra Paraguay has been working for more than a decade here to strengthen its relationships with the San Rafael communities and build support for biodiversity protection – namely promote sustainable agriculture and prevent deforestation and monocultures.

Integrating conservation work with development projects like these is based on the belief that for conservation efforts to be effective, they must deliver benefits to local people. As a partner within the BirdLife International network, Nature Canada has been working with partners in the Americas since 1999 on projects that balance conservation objectives and local needs—social and economic.

This project, by improving the lives of the people in these communities, is also helping to secure a future for the region’s wildlife, including twenty-five species of bird that are at risk globally, like Endangered Black-fronted Piping-guan, Vulnerable Helmeted Woodpecker, and Near-Threatened Solitary Tinamou.

Today, 478 women farmers are practicing organic agriculture. Their organic vegetable gardens are providing fresh produce for their families and for sale. On average, the women increased their consumption of vegetables from three or four products to more than 12. The majority of beneficiaries have seen their income increased by more than 50%, and many are cooperating to market their produce. Awareness of gender equality and the rights of women improved, with some women actively demanding their rights be respected and denouncing acts of domestic violence. By the end of the project, women farmers had formed 10 committees that obtained municipal recognition. Some have started to engage with municipal organizations to further their goals.

The project was supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

You can read more about the project and its outcomes on our web site.

Give Nature a Break!

Sometimes, nature needs to be left alone in order to thrive and do its job well.

That's the message Carla Sbert, Nature Canada's manager of conservation programs and legal issues, shared with CBC Radio One's Ottawa morning show listeners on behalf of everyone who feels nature deserves a break.

Inspired by her daily commute to our office in downtown Ottawa, Carla asked the National Capital Commission to help Monarch butterflies by leaving fields standing through the summer. Here's Carla's story, which was read by the show's co-host, Stu:

I have been cycling to work from Gatineau to downtown Ottawa through Leamy Lake Park  for five years. Every summer I am pained to see beautiful fields along the bike path razed down in the middle of summer. This year that happened last week and early this week, even before Canada goldenrods started blooming and just a couple of weeks after the first milkweed did. This is so unnecessary. These fields are important for declining pollinators and birds, like bees, swallows and other insect eating birds and bats. They are important for monarch butterflies, too. I hope you’ve heard about the latest research showing the importance of milkweed for monarch butterflies and the role of milkweed loss in their decline. Please give nature a break and leave fields standing through the summer.

Do you want to help monarch butterflies in your backyard or garden? Check out Nature Canada's tips on how to plant a monarch butterfly friendly garden to get started!

If there's a natural space where you live that needs a break, share your story with us. Tell us what inspired you to protect it and what can be done to ensure it gets a break in the comments section below. And don't forget to advocate for this natural space just like Carla did!

Review of Enbridge Northern Gateway Project Begins

Photo: Tom Middleton

On July 12, 2011, Nature Canada and BC Nature officially registered to participate as interveners in the environmental assessment review of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline project. As interveners, Nature Canada and BC Nature will provide information on the impacts that the project could have on birds, bird habitat and terrestrial wildlife to a panel that will ultimately decide whether the project is in the public interest.

As we've said here before, this tar sands shipping project poses unacceptable risks to the ecosystems and biodiversity of the Northern B.C. Coast. There are 28 Important Bird Areas in the Northern B.C. coast and the whole Queen Charlotte Straight is an extremely globally important area for marine birds, other marine animals and fish. This rich ecosystem would be exposed to oil pollution from increased tanker traffic and an impossible-to-rule-out oil spill. The pipeline will also fragment the pristine habitat of boreal birds and other wildlife, including Caribou and Grizzly Bears.

Over the next year or so (assuming no delays) a Joint Review Panel (JRP) will examine the application submitted by Enbridge, as well as evidence and comments from First Nations, individuals, environmental organizations, and other interested persons regarding the project and its environmental impacts. There JRP will hold hearings starting in January 2012 to decide whether the project is in the public interest. The deadline to register as an intervener today, Thursday, July 14, but there are other ways you can  participate and comment.

We hope that the Panel will not allow the project to proceed after considering the impact on wildlife and many other objections to the project, particularly from First Nations. But we're at least a year away from that decision with much work ahead. We will keep you posted!

Alarming Deforestation in the Paraguayan Chaco

Our BirdLife partner in Paraguay, Guyra Paraguay, has been raising the alarm about the rapid deforestation of the Chaco for years. This area is critically important for indigenous peoples, wildlife and ecosystem services, like water.

The rate of deforestation is estimated at about 36,000 football fields per month. Watch this video to learn more: 

Double-hulled Tankers Won't Protect Northern BC Coast From Oil Spills

Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipeline Project proposes to take tar sands oil from Alberta to the northern BC port of Kitimat for export to Pacific markets. Enbridge believes petroleum products can be moved safely through the northern BC coast, in part thanks to "modern and double-hulled" tankers.

In a report released last week, Living Oceans Society takes a close look at the limitations of double-hulled tankers and concludes they're not the panacea they're touted to be.

The risk of an oil spill in the northern BC coast is one of the main objections to this project. A spill could cause irreversible harm to the livelihoods of many coastal and aboriginal communities, the area's unique marine ecosystems, the Great Bear Rainforest and 28 Important Bird Areas.

A Joint Review Panel has been established to review the environmental assessment of the project, but a date for the hearings is yet to be announced. Nature Canada plans to participate in the review, together with BC Nature. However, opposition to the project is building and a proposed legislated ban on tankers in the area could put an end to this threat. Watch spOIL for a glimpse of the wilderness at risk.

Hope for Prothonotary Warbler in Canada

Photo courtesy of Allan Woodhouse

The Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) is a small migrating songbird. Its name evokes the yellow robes worn by the Roman Catholic Church officials known as protonotarii. In Canada, this beautiful warbler breeds only in a few sites of Carolinian forest along the shores of Lake Erie, nesting in tree cavities like no other warbler.

The Prothonotary Warbler is declining at a continental level. In Canada, where it is at the edge of its northern range, we have seen it decline from an estimated 40 plus pairs in the 1980s to approximately 10 pairs now. The key threats identified are the loss and degradation of its habitat, both in its breeding grounds (in Canada and the U.S.) and wintering grounds (southern Mexico through Central America and northern South America).

This songbird is one of 27 bird species listed as Endangered under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Nature Canada has been monitoring the implementation of SARA for the survival and recovery of Prothonotary Warbler, since it was assessed by COSEWIC as Endangered in 1996.

Once listed as Endangered, the Prothonotary Warbler and its residence gained automatic protection through SARA, which prohibits harming or taking individuals of the species and destruction of its residence. The Act also requires the government to prepare a recovery strategy, followed by an action plan and to identify and protect the species' critical habitat. A recovery strategy was due in June 2006, but has only now been completed.

We are cautiously encouraged that the final Recovery Strategy has incorporated some of the recommendations we have provided on two drafts subject to public consultations, first in September 2007 and recently in December 2010. Notably, the Recovery Strategy sets a scientifically credible recovery goal: to recover the population of 40 plus pairs in the long term and to increase it to 15-20 pairs by 2015. Also of great importance, the Recovery Strategy identifies critical habitat based on available scientific information in 11 sites within the municipalities of Chatham-Kent, Essex, Hamilton and Norfolk.

We are disappointed, however, that while the Recovery Strategy claims to take a precautionary approach, as required by SARA, an action plan will not be produced until 2015. An action plan is needed to spell out the specific measures that will be taken to achieve the recovery of the species, and specify roles and responsibilities around those actions. How will the goal of 15-20 pairs be achieved by 2015, if the action plan will only be completed in the same year? Without an action plan, there's no guidance for those interested in contributing to the recovery of Prothonotary Warbler, nor is there a mechanism for accountability.

Prothonotary Warbler has suffered a 50% decline since 2007. At this pace, instead of recovery we might see the extirpation of this songbird in Canada before an action plan is implemented. This delay is anything but precautionary and we hope the Government of Canada produces the action plan at a much earlier date.

Why does Nature Canada do this work?

Canadians care about birds and other biodiversity. Nature Canada believes the Species at Risk Act can help recover species if it is adequately implemented. That is why we are committed to a watchdog role on SARA implementation. However, with 631 species listed as at risk in Canada (including those considered Extinct, Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened and of Special Concern), this is obviously a huge task that we can't tackle alone. Fortunately, we work closely with other organizations like Ecojustice and the David Suzuki Foundation. As Canadian co-partner in BirdLife International, Nature Canada is committed to monitoring implementation by the federal government with respect to birds at risk, while our colleagues in these and other organizations focus on other species.

Our SARA watchdog work involves detailed review of government actions with respect to each species, from the moment COSEWIC recommends that it be listed under the Act. We follow the listing process, we review draft recovery strategies and action plans or management plans, and watch for other actions required under the Act. Our main objectives are to ensure the Act is effectively implemented and that the best available science is the basis for any decisions on actions to save or recover species. Many of these decisions pose challenges from a socioeconomic perspective, but it is important for society to make those decisions based on science. In carrying out our watchdog role, we are very aware of the challenges faced by those developing and implementing these strategies on the ground.

There is a significant backlog of recovery strategies, management plans and action plans. Over the past year, Nature Canada participated in many public consultations on SARA implementation documents, including providing comments on proposed recovery documents for Burrowing Owl, Loggerhead Shrike, Cerulean Warbler, King Rail, in addition to Prothonotary Warbler. As the government continues to tackle this backlog -- and sadly as more species are added to the list of species at risk --  Nature Canada will continue to ensure the Act is effectively implemented to give these species a chance.

The EnCana Trial That Wasn't

In 2007, EnCana (now Cenovus) was charged with violating the Canada Wildlife Act by building a section of a pipeline without a permit within CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area.

The trial was postponed numerous times -coincidentally, as EnCana's proposed project to drill more than 1,200 wells in the Suffield National Wildlife Area was undergoing an environmental assessment review. A year ago, the case was stayed temporarily. Now, it turns out that legally speaking it never happened.

The government has yet to make a decision on whether the Cenovus project will be approved and, if so, under what conditions.

Given that the panel that conducted the environmental assessment concluded the project would interfere with the conservation of wildlife, and set a very high bar for any approval, one could speculate that the "disappearance" of those charges are one less thing for the government, and Cenovus, to worry about.

Of course those of us concerned about the enforcement of wildlife conservation laws and the integrity of Suffield National Wildlife Area, have one more thing to worry about. Canadians need to have confidence that their government will uphold and enforce the rules intended to protect this irreplaceable wildlife habitat, including environmental assessment conditions.

House Passes Motion to Ban Tankers in the northern BC coast

On Tuesday, the House of Commons passed a motion to ban tanker traffic off the B.C. coast. The motion was introduced by Nathan Cullen of the NDP and was supported by the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois. It calls on the Harper government to come up with legislation banning oil-tanker traffic in B.C.'s north coast - namely, Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. A ban would clarify the questions around the exiting moratorium on tanker traffic, which the government claims is voluntary. And more importantly, a ban on tanker traffic would protect the ecosystems and coastal communities of northern BC from a potential oil spill.

Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipeline Project proposes to build pipelines from Alberta to B.C.'s Kitimat port to ship oil from the tar sands to markets in Asia. This would 1) contribute to the projected increase in tanker traffic on the B.C. coast (about 225 per year to begin with), 2) increase the likelihood of another Exxon Valdez disaster, and 3) give the Canadian tar sands (the largest carbon emitting industry in Canada) more reason to exist.

A ban on tanker traffic would stop this dangerous and unsustainable proposal.

On the same day the motion passed, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Scott Vaughan, unveiled his alarming conclusions on Canada's readiness to respond to offshore oil spills, including that:

- The government lacks the readiness needed to respond to a major oil spill;
- Both Transport Canada (the regulatory agency responsible for preparing spill responses) and the Canadian Coast Guard (the federal body that would manage the spill on-site) have incomplete or outdated knowledge on the risks of spills;- The Canadian Coast Guard hasn't evaluated its capacity to respond to spills since 2000, and doesn't have a system in place to track spills!

Have you ever wondered how many oil spills take place in Canadian waters? Well, apparently between 2007-2009 there were 4, 160. Vessels, such as oil tanker and fishing boats, were involved in 2, 000 of them.

Now that the motion has passed, what happens next?

What should happen, is that a bill is introduced and new legislation is put in place to ban oil-tanker traffic. But there isn't much reason to hope the government will act on a motion they didn't support, even if it is the will of Parliament. After all, they continue to ignore a motion they did support.

What am I talking about? 

In May this year, following the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the House unanimously passed NDP MP Linda Duncan's motion to take hard look at Canada's preparedness and fix any weaknesses. The motion read:

"That this House notes the horror with which Canadians observe the ecological disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico and their call for action to prevent such an event in Canada, and therefore calls on the government immediately to conduct a thorough review and revision of all relevant federal laws, regulations and policies regarding the development of unconventional sources of oil and gas, including oil sands, deepwater oil and gas recovery, and shale gas, through a transparent process and the broadest possible consultation with all interested stakeholders to ensure Canada has the strongest environmental and safety rules in the world, and to report to the House for appropriate action".

In the long-term interests of coastal wildlife and the communities that exist along Canada's west coast, the government should take the opportunity to implement BOTH motions and move us closer to preventing a major oil spill in Canada.

Time to Say NO to the Mackenzie Gas Project

The time has come for the National Energy Board (NEB) to reject the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP). A decision by the NEB on the proposed $16 billion megaproject is expected in the coming weeks.

The Joint Review Panel (JRP) that exhaustively reviewed the social and environmental impacts of the proposed project made 176 recommendations for approving the project so that it could provide a foundation for the sustainable development of the North.

The Governments of Canada and Northwest Territories, even as they claim to accept the majority of the JRP’s recommendations, are in fact rejecting the JRP’s framework for implementing the project sustainably. In their final response, the Governments’ have only accepted 11 of the 115 recommendations directed to them by the JRP and in most cases, they have not addressed the JRP’s objections to the Governments’ proposal for changing the JRP recommendations. (Actually, despite a JRP call for transparency, the interim governments’ response was never made public and the Panel’s response to it was only available on Environment Canada’s website for a limited period of time before being taken down.)

The Panel concluded that “in the absence of implementation of its Recommendations, and in particular those Recommendations directed to the Governments, the adverse impacts of the Project could be significant and its contribution towards sustainability could be negative. In that event, the opportunity for the Project to provide a foundation for a sustainable northern future would be lost.” (Emphasis in the original.)

As we said to the NEB in our 22 November 2010 letter, proceeding with the project without implementing the recommendations of the JRP would compromise a sustainable future for the North. Therefore the project is not in the public interest and the NEB must reject it.

On December 1, 2010 Nature Canada wrote again to the NEB to bring to their attention a recent event that illuminates what the governments’ claims to accept “the intent” of a recommendation might actually mean:

Panel recommendation 11-2 calls for providing areas identified as of high conservation value through the NWT Protected Areas Strategy with interim protection until permanent protection is achieved. The governments accepted “the intent” of this recommendation. How is the Canadian government following through? On October 28, 2010 the government failed to renew crucial interim subsurface protections that had been in place for over eight years on the land beneath Edéhzhíe, leaving the area open to mining claims. Edéhzhíe is one of the most revered sites of the Dehcho and Tłicho Dene communities around western Great Slave Lake, and a candidate National Wildlife Area identified through the NWT Protected Areas Strategy (Step 5) and sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Service.

This is one of 77 important recommendations for which the governments claim to “accept the intent”. Ten recommendations that are key for the sustainability of the project were rejected.

Sustainability should be the guiding principle for this basin-opening project. It won't be. The NEB should reject the MGP.

Governments Reject a Sustainable Approach for the Mackenzie Gas Project

This week, the Governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories released their final response to the environmental assessment of the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project.

Nature Canada is gravely concerned that, despite claiming they have accepted most of the recommendations, the Governments have accepted only 11 of the 115 recommendations to government from the Joint Review Panel that studied the environmental impacts of the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project.

The governments' response plainly dismisses the principles of sustainable development by rejecting recommendations on the grounds that they would constrain development. The governments’ refusal to commit to implementing all of the Panel’s recommendations creates the unsustainable conditions that the Panel warned about in an October 4 letter. “The Panel has concluded that, in the absence of implementation of its Recommendations, and in particular those Recommendations directed to the Governments, the adverse impacts of the Project could be significant and its contribution towards sustainability could be negative. In that event, the opportunity for the Project to provide a foundation for a sustainable northern future would be lost.”

Nature Canada is deeply concerned about the devastation that could be unleashed on important wildlife areas across the Northwest Territories as a result of the Government’s aggressive stance against the Panel recommendations. We are now studying the government response in more detail and will comment again soon. The National Energy Board is due to make a final decision on the project, likely before Christmas.