Transcript Slide 1

www.ec.gc.ca
Country Update: Canada
15th Annual Meeting of the Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and
Ecosystem Conservation and Management
Halifax, Nova Scotia
May 10-14, 2010
Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Lesley-Anne Howes
Virginia Poter
Director General
Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment Canada
Canadian Context for Wildlife
Management
• Canadian jurisdiction for wildlife is shared
• Federal Government of Canada:
– Environment Canada
– Fisheries and Oceans Canada
– Parks Canada Agency
• Provinces and territories have important responsibilities for wildlife management
– Landownership is 48% under provincial jurisdiction
– Jurisdiction over most wildlife other than marine mammals, fish and mig birds
– Unique legislation addressing fish and wildlife conservation, species at risk,
parks, natural areas, forests etc…
• Coordination of wildlife management between the provinces, territories and federal
government is carried out through the Canadian Wildlife Directors Committee
(CWDC)
• Co-management boards created under Land Claims Agreements guide wildlife
management in much of northern Canada
Key Federal Legislation for Wildlife
Management I
• Species at Risk Act (SARA)
– Purpose is threefold:
▪ To prevent indigenous wildlife species, sub species and distinct populations
from becoming extinct or extirpated
▪ To provide for the recovery of threatened or endangered species
▪ To encourage the management of other species to prevent them from
becoming at risk
– Act is national in scope
• Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994
– Purpose is to implement the Convention by protecting and conserving migratory
birds — as populations and individual birds — and their nests.
– Provides for the establishment of Migratory Bird Sanctuaries and their
management
• Canada Wildlife Act
– Establishes National Wildlife Areas and provides for their management
• WAPPRIITA*
– Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and
Interprovincial Trade Act
– CITES is implemented in Canada through WAPPRIITA
Key Federal Legislation for Wildlife
Management II
•
Fisheries Act
– Assigns Fisheries and Oceans Canada the responsibility to conserve and protect fish and
fish habitat
– Applies to all Canadian fisheries waters
•
Oceans Act
– Confirms Canada’s role with respect to oceans management
– Identifies three complimentary initiatives for the conservation and protection of the oceans
▪ Marine Protected Areas program
▪ Integrated Management program
▪ Marine Ecosystem Health program
• Canada National Parks Act
–
Establishes national parks and provides for their management
•
Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act
– To establish a system of marine conservation areas that are representative of the Atlantic,
Arctic and Pacific Oceans and the Great Lakes in Canada and are of sufficient extent and
such configuration as to maintain healthy marine ecosystems
•
Income Tax Act
– Provides income tax incentives to encourage donations of ecologically sensitive lands and
empowers ministerial authority over the transfer and management of property donated as
ecological gifts
Key Roles of Environment Canada With
Respect to Wildlife and Biodiversity
• Conservation of migratory bird populations under the Migratory
•
•
•
•
•
Birds Conservation Act, 1994
Protection of species at risk under the Species at Risk Act*
Conservation, restoration and rehabilitation of habitats
Management of National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird
Sanctuaries
National implementation of Convention on Biodiversity and CITES
Biodiversity policy and planning
*Shared responsibility
2009-10 EC Program Achievements I
Species at Risk Act (SARA)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Completed Polar Bear consultations
Increased Aboriginal engagement in recovery planning and implementation
Streamlined recovery plan development process
Completed SARA Policies
Supported the 5 year parliamentary review of SARA
Ongoing delivery of stewardship funding programs, totaling approximately $20 million
At present, have listed 470 species under the Species at Risk Act and posted
recovery strategies for 119 species*
Migratory Birds
•
•
•
•
Continued the review of monitoring programs (Avian Monitoring Review)
Commenced work on the revision to the Migratory Bird Regulations
Continued efforts to develop Incidental Take Regulations for migratory birds
Continued investment in North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP),
Joint Ventures and Flyways
*Shared Achievements
2009-2010 EC Program Achievements II
Wildlife Habitat Conservation
• Implemented recommendations from the operational review of Environment Canada
Protected Areas (National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries)
•
•
•
•
Continued implementation of the Inuit Impacts and Benefits Agreement (IIBA)
Continued implementation of the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy
Implemented conservation partnership funding programs
Under the Ecogifts Program in 09-10, a total of 90 gifts were given with a total area of
8541 hectares worth $43M
• Expansion of Nahanni National Park by 6 fold - a World Heritage Site
Biodiversity
• Progress on Ecosystem Status and Trends Report
• Preparations for 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, including engaging
Canadians (youth, business, cities)
• Canada’s 4th National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity
2009-2010 EC Program Achievements III
Other
• Issued thousands of CITES permits and continued CITES permit policy
development
• Contributed to over 2000 Environmental Assessments
• Led Canadian preparation and delegation for CITES
• Signed MOU among Canada, Nunavut, Greenland for the Conservation and
Management of Polar Bear
2010-2011 - EC Priorities I
Species at Risk Act (SARA)
•
•
•
•
•
Respond to 5 year parliamentary review of SARA
Advance the number of completed recovery strategies under SARA with critical
habitat identified where possible
Continued development of regulatory packages that recommend the listing of new
Species at Risk including high profile species such as the Polar Bear (not yet listed)
Complete consultations on caribou, wood bison
Respond/implement decisions from CITES CoP15 related to species at risk
Migratory Birds
•
•
•
•
•
Continue development of Incidental Take Regulation with focus on consultation and
preparation for implementation
Complete development of Bird Conservation Region plans in 22 units across
Canada
Implementation of Avian Monitoring Review recommendations
Ongoing work to complete the NAWMP revision
Work with North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI)-Canada to prepare
the State of the Birds in Canada report
2010-2011 - EC Priorities II
Wildlife Habitat Conservation
•
Protected Areas Strategy Implementation including approval of permitting
standards
•
•
•
Continue to implement the Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy
Establishment of three new protected areas in northern Canada under the IIBA
Research and monitoring on ecological forecasting for protected areas and habitat,
in relation to climate change and other threats
Biodiversity
•
Lead Canadian preparation and delegation for the10th Conference of the Parties to
the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10) – international and domestic
negotiations
–
•
•
•
•
including Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), post-2010 targets, Intergovernmental
Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
International Year of Biodiversity – Ongoing Canadian engagement
Release first ever Ecosystem Status and Trends Report
Support release of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna’s (CAFF’s) - Arctic
Biodiversity Trends - 2010
Provide leadership in the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program
2010-2011 - EC Priorities III
Other
•
Respond/implement decisions from CITES CoP for non-SAR species
including Polar Bear
•
Continue development of polar bear conservation strategy
•
Support to Polar Bear research
•
Issue CITES permits
•
Continue to contribute to environmental assessments
Canadian Wildlife Directors’ Committee
(CWDC)
• CWDC is comprised of federal, provincial, territorial wildlife directors
and provides:
– Leadership of national wildlife policy/program development and
coordination
– Advice to the Deputy Ministers and Ministers’ Councils
– A collegial framework for collaboration of federal, provincial and
territorial wildlife directors.
2009-2010 – CWDC Achievements
•
Provided options to strengthen the oversight and management of the
Ministers’ councils for species at risk and wildlife
•
Reviewed the COSEWIC annual report for submission to Ministers
•
Supported implementation of the Invasive Alien Species Partnership
Program and program funding renewal
•
Completed the jurisdictional gap analysis to strengthen National Wildlife
Disease Strategy implementation
•
Developed a proposed new governance model for the Canadian
Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre
•
Prepared a Canadian position report for the Joint Management Committee
(JMC) meeting of Agreement on International Humane Trapping
Standards
2010-2011 – Key CWDC Priorities I
Species at Risk (SAR)
•
Streamline federal and provincial/territorial species at risk consultative processes
•
Guide preparation for General Status of Wildlife Report
•
Oversee streamlining of recovery planning
•
Continue consultations on national recovery strategy and science-based refinement
of range definition for boreal caribou
Population Management
•
Collaborate on management of migratory birds, with attention to incidental take,
population/habitat assessment and monitoring and urban/agricultural damage
•
Complete Bird Conservation Plans
•
Provide leadership to the National Wildlife Disease Strategy and seek
approval/guidance from Deputy Ministers
2010-2011 – CWDC Priorities II
Habitat Management
•
Share best practices among agencies, industries and conservation nongovernmental organizations
Overarching Policies and Outcomes
•
Increase provincial and territorial engagement in key fora including Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) and the Trilateral Committee

All of the above is in addition to work underway in all jurisdictions for the
management of wildlife and habitats
Summary
• Wildlife management is shared in Canada
• Canada’s wildlife is managed through a variety of tools (e.g.
legislation, stewardship)
• In 2009-10, federal and provincial/territorial governments, with
support from many partners, made great strides in wildlife
management but there is still a lot to do
• New threats are arising, creating new priorities, and we need to be
able to adapt and respond
• 2010-11 will see us focusing on on-going operations and new
strategic initiatives to support wildlife conservation in Canada and
beyond