Advancing Nature Conservation in the North

Earlier this month, Nature Canada was officially recognized as a Partner in the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy (NWTPAS).

As a partner, Nature Canada joins a group comprised of Aboriginal organizations, federal and territorial governments, environmental non-governmental organizations, and industry that oversee a conmmunity-based process to establish a network of protected areas across the Northwest Territories.

Using the best available traditional, ecological, cultural, and economic knowledge, the NWTPAS aims to identify and protect special natural and cultural areas and core representative areas within each of the 42 ecoregions of the Northwest Territories. Since the Strategy was signed in 1999, six new National Wildlife Areas have been proposed in the Northwest Territories through this process.

“The NWTPAS is an invaluable forum for identifying and advancing landscape conservation goals in the North,” said Alexander MacDonald, Nature Canada’s manager of protected areas. “We are honoured to participate in this process as an official partner. Our hope is that together, we can ensure National Wildlife Areas are established where they are most appropriate for wildlife and northern communities through a balanced approach to conservation and economic development.”

The most recent National Wildlife Area proposal calls for the protection of a largely aquatic area on the north arm of Great Slave Lake, called Kwets'oòtł'àà. The proposed National Wildlife Area lies about 50 km west of Yellowknife, and overlaps with the globally significant North Arm of Great Slave Lake Important Bird Area where Tundra Swan, Canada Geese and other waterfowl, as well as at-risk Wood Bison, Boreal Woodland Caribou, Wolverine, Rusty Blackbird and Common Nighthawk live. Kwets'oòtł'àà is also the northernmost known breeding area for Caspian and Black Terns.

Following the proposal for a candidate National Wildlife Area from the Tłįcho Government last year, Environment Canada is applying for a five-year interim withdrawal of surface and subsurface lands in the study area this summer.

Once approved, this will ensure that among other limitations no new mining or oil and gas rights can be established for the land beneath the proposed Kwets’oòtł’àà National Wildlife Area during the planning process for the protected area.

National Wildlife Areas are sites that contain “nationally significant” habitat for migratory birds, support wildlife or ecosystems at risk, or represent rare or unusual wildlife habitat for a given biogeographic region. They also perform important natural services – they filter and store fresh water, and limit the effects of climate change.

National Wildlife Areas are established and protected under the Canada Wildlife Act and managed by Environment Canada or another designated department or organization, including First Nations and Aboriginal organizations. Due to the increased pressure the Northwest Territories has faced in the past decade to develop northern resources, establishing National Wildlife Areas is one way to ensure the wildlife, habitat, and cultures of this area are protected and sustainably managed.

Nature Canada’s new role as an NWTPAS Partner reflects our ongoing work to advance the conservation value of National Wildlife Areas in Canada. In addition to national parks (Nááts’ihch’oh and Thaidene Nene) and territorial protected areas, the new National Wildlife Areas proposed in the Northwest Territories form part of an important core of northern protected areas that will preserve ecological and cultural values in perpetuity.

“We are inspired by the NWTPAS vision, ‘the land takes care of us, we take care of the land…’, and are enthusiastic about forging new relationships and learning through this important conservation planning initiative,” said MacDonald.

Mystery Cats in Ontario

Although rumours of sightings have abounded for years, they had never been confirmed. Until now. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recently completed a four year study that has led it to conclude that eastern cougars do exist in Ontario. The findings were based on evidence ranging from DNA, to track photos and samples of scat.

Motion sensor cameras were set up in 30 different locations throughout the province, with six cameras in Peterborough as a result of frequent sightings. The latest sightings, between March and September 2009, were near Kenora, Sault Ste. Marie and Lindsay. Despite the many efforts to capture photos of cougars, so far none have been successful. This may be due to the large distances that a cougar travels – up to 50 km a night in search of prey – and their territories that expand between 500-1000 km². “The odds of getting a cougar photo is very slim, because they travel so much,” said Rick Rosatte, a senior research scientist with MNR in Peterborough.

Stuart Ken, president of the Ontario Puma Foundation, believes 95% of reported sightings are misidentifications as people mistake house cats, dogs, coyotes, wolves and even squirrels (hmmm) for cougars – what he calls ‘puma mania’, which is triggered by some individuals who believe they saw a cougar.

Although it is confirmed that cougars exist in Ontario, their exact numbers are still unknown. However, the Ontario Puma Foundation estimates that there are about 550 cougars. According to Rosatte, the cougars may be the remains of a native cougar population that was in Ontario, cougars coming from the west, those that have escaped or were released from captivity or a blend of all of the above.

Court Ruling Against BC Government - Protection of the Caribou

On March 19, 2010 British Columbia’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the West Moberly First Nation’s petition against the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and First Coal Corporation’s proposed coal mine plan that would have had significant impacts on critical habitat of the nationally endangered Burnt Pine caribou herd in northeast BC. Treaty No.8, a northern treaty signed in 1899, played a significant role in the ruling given that the Crown failed to thoroughly consult the West Moberly petitioners and also failed to accommodate their rights – especially their hunting rights. In the words of the Honourable Justice Williamson:

‘The consultation was not sufficiently meaningful, and the accommodation put in place was not reasonable.’

Chief Roland Willson, of the West Moberly Nations, expressed his gratitude towards the court’s decision saying it was able to stop both the federal and BC governments from evading their obligations to protect the caribou under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA). The BC government was ordered to immediately put in place a ‘reasonable, active, program for the protection and augmentation of the Burnt Pine herd’. The lack of a satisfactory consultation for the proposed coal mine has led to a mandatory adequate consultation - except this time it is not for a coal mine but for the protection of the Burnt Pine caribou herd. They have 90 days to present this. The crown shall consult with the West Moberly people as well as ecologists and biologists from the Ministry of Environment whom are to be referred to by West Moberly.

Andrew Gage of West Coast Environmental Law said this ruling may be the cause of a series of similar events where First Nations intervene and push governments to protect species across the country.

There are currently ONLY 11 caribou left in the Burnt Pine herd. Hopefully, the new plans will make it possible to repopulate this herd.

The Reasons for Judgment can be found at the following link:

http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/SC/10/03/2010BCSC0359.htm