Wildlife Conservation Society Canada

Discovery of songs of silver-haired bats may help this potentially endangered species

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 13:05:00 GMT

Discovery of second-known North American bat species to sing
A conservation tool for identifying bats in the wild that are coming into increasing conflict with wind power development
Demonstrates another fascinating ability for often underappreciated bats

A new paper, published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, documents only the second known instance of a North American bat singing. Based on recordings made outside two old mine sites used by silver-haired bats in British Columbia and a scattering of forest locations in western North America, researchers have concluded that these bats use sounds for more than echolocation or simple social calls.

This is a timely finding as silver-haired singing provides a useful way to distinguish this species from other bats that use similar echolocation calls, such as big brown bats and hoary bats. Both the hoary and silver-haired bats are migratory species, which are experiencing heavy mortality from wind power development. Both have been recently assessed by COSEWIC (Committee on Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) as Endangered. Conversely, big brown bats are one of the few Canadian bat species that is not considered at risk anywhere in Canada.

Being able to accurately determine which species are present in the area of existing or potential wind power developments can help with mitigation and monitoring. Being able to conclusively differentiate bat species using bat detectors only, without requiring capture, is a welcome species conservation tool at a time when wind energy development is poised to exponentially increase.

Resources: Sound file (mp3) recordings of bat singing and with a mix of singing and social calls.

The door to a better biodiversity future is now open

Lynsey Grosfield — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 22:50:00 GMT

The closing plenary of the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, CoP15, in Montreal, December 2022.

Photo: UN Biodiversity

Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations produce a solid deal that lays the groundwork for more ambitious efforts to address the biodiversity crisis in Canada and around the world.

By Justina Ray, WCS Canada President and Senior Scientist

Negotiations on a new global deal to save nature reached their tipping point at just about the same time that Lionel Messi was racing past defenders in the World Cup final. But while Argentina’s victory caught the world’s attention, the win for nature that resulted in Montreal was really the much bigger deal.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the 15^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (“CoP15”) for Biodiversity held in Montreal earlier this month started out with very much the same kind of coin flip odds as the soccer shootout between France and Argentina.

WCS Canada President and Senior Scientist Dr. Justina Ray was a member of the Canadian delegation to the biodiversity talks and carefully tracked the difficult work of bringing 188 parties to consensus on a plan to protect nature.

No one could predict how things were going to end coming into these long-delayed negotiations with a text full of provisional language that had to be agreed on by every country in attendance. But remarkably, 188 Parties reached consensus on the new framework that moves the goalposts significantly on addressing the growing global wave of wildlife extinctions and ecosystem losses – including right here in Canada.

Having witnessed the often-tense negotiations that led up to the agreement, there are many aspects of the final document that I find relatively awe-inspiring. It acknowledges the plight of global biodiversity, the dependence of humans on the biosphere as well as the need for transformative change and a “whole of government” approach to truly protect nature. It includes strong language about the right to a healthy environment, respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, the “full and effective contributions” of women, youth, and Indigenous peoples, inter-generational equity and a welcome emphasis on ecosystems as a key element of biodiversity embedded within several targets.

That is no small piece of work when you consider the vastly different conditions and worldviews of the countries involved – from powerful Western states to tiny island nations and everything in between. The 23 targets of the framework that support the overall mission “to take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss” by 2030 collectively provide a strong directive for immediate action. These actions include protection of 30% of land and inland waters and 30% of marine and coastal areas; restoring and halting the loss of areas important to biodiversity and of high ecological integrity; and addressing key drivers of biodiversity loss (land- and sea-use change, pollution, invasive alien species, climate change and ocean acidification).

Another set of targets deals with many aspects of implementation, including finance and resource mobilization, full integration of biodiversity into policies and regulations, addressing destructive financial subsidies and the need for business disclosure of “risks, dependencies and impacts” on biodiversity. And it all comes with a monitoring framework with “headline” indicators to track progress of goals and targets.

Compared to the previous global agreement to protect nature, the hope is that measurable targets, an accompanying monitoring framework, and enhanced attention to implementation – along with increasingly strong scientific understanding of the urgency of the biodiversity crisis, will propel individual nations to turn their promises into action.

Arriving at this solid, if imperfect, outcome involved much more than the work of government negotiators. WCS Canada, for example, played important roles both inside and outside the official negotiations. As an official member of the Canadian delegation, I sat in on negotiating sessions and provided support to Canada’s leadership role as host of CoP15. As part of the large contingent of Canadian civil society organizations at the meeting, we shared our understanding of the implications of each of the many, many drafts of the main agreement and side agreements through a conservation science lens.

Peter Soroye, WCS Canada's Key Biodiversity Areas Assessment and Outreach Coordinator, addresses the need for Indigenous collaboration in identifying Key Biodiversity Areas at the CoP.

Photo: Lynsey Grosfield/WCS Canada

WCS Canada also made a significant splash with presentations on peatlands and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). These were a golden opportunity to build understanding of new conservation opportunities and, in the case of peatlands, to re-emphasize the link between biodiversity protection and climate action. Having representatives from the global WCS team – from Colombia to Congo – at the negotiations also helped to bring a broad perspective to the work of explaining what needs to be done to protect biodiversity.

Was what was achieved in Montreal enough? In many ways, it has left us in the same position as Argentina at the end of extra time. We have clawed our way back into the game, but we need to do more to win. Not enough accountability is built into the framework and we need more clearly-defined milestones to measure and ensure progress in the next decade. Importantly, even with this being a key focus in Montreal, there is still insufficient funding from developed nations for the rest of the world to support implementation. We need to remind ourselves that the “cost” of helping to protect biodiversity in other parts of the world is a small price to pay for keeping our world liveable and a sliver of what we spend on things like armaments that often find their way into conflicts driven by ecosystem breakdown. Our recent pandemic experience is, of course, another stark reminder about the huge costs of compromised ecosystems.

For all of us at WCS Canada, this agreement feeds directly into the work we have been doing across Canada to change the conservation paradigm. Our work as scientists on ensuring globally important ecosystems, like boreal forests and peatlands, maintain their high ecological integrity is now a perfect launching point for efforts to formally protect areas rich in biodiversity and carbon – particularly through support of Indigenous-led conservation and policy reform. Our efforts to better understand how the Arctic environment is being transformed by climate change will set the stage for strong and proactive protection measures. Our efforts to better understand the needs of key species like bats, caribou, wolverine and lake sturgeon will help change the current negative course for these and other ecosystem- and cultural “keystone” animals. Our KBA program is identifying important places for conservation action and our new SHAPE of Nature website is providing information on conservation indicators for the public and decision-makers.

There is a lot of work ahead of us at WCS Canada. We hope you can continue to support us to turn this opportunity into action for nature. The door to a better future is now open.

CoP15 Event: Key Biodiversity Areas - a tool for effective biodiversity conservation in Canada

Lynsey Grosfield — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 20:43:00 GMT

This panel event brought together leaders and partners of the KBA Canada initiative to demonstrate how this collaborative project is assembling biodiversity data and knowledge to identify all Key Biodiversity Areas in Canada, and presented the progress made to date. Panelists described the organization of KBA Canada, collaborations with Indigenous partners across the country, how the project is catalyzing the assemblage and organization of biodiversity data in Canada, Canadian leadership in identifying KBAs for ecological integrity, and how Canada is sharing tools and approaches globally on KBAs. Discussion was interspersed by video from partners across the country, describing the local importance of KBAs they are working on.

The event was held in the Canada Pavilion at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference, CoP15, in Montreal on December 13th, 2022, and organized but Wildlife Conservation Society Canada and NatureServe Canada. WCS Canada panelists included Justina Ray, Peter Soroye, Chloé Debyser, and Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne.

CoP15 Event: From Peatlands to the Ocean, a Global Opportunity in Canada

Lynsey Grosfield — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 20:31:00 GMT

The 90 minute panel brought together Indigenous leaders, scientists and conservation experts from Canada’s Hudson Bay Lowland and surrounding sea. Panelists spoke to their homelands, irrecoverable carbon stores of the Hudson Bay Lowland, the looming threat of Ring of Fire mining, global stopovers for North America’s birds, tales of living with polar bears and Indigenous-led conservation in the sea.

Dr. Lorna Harris, Forests, Peatlands, and Climate lead, presented on behalf of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada.

Ecological distancing and why knowing nature matters

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 19:27:00 GMT

Read this Op Ed in the National Observer

By Dan Kraus

Watching birds can contribute to your happiness. As we make our way back to pre-pandemic life, it is important that we continue to foster these connections to nature. Photo by Robert Sachowski/Unsplash

COVID-19 has made the value of our social connections clear. Distancing from friends and family has been important to avoid a virus, but breaking these ties takes a toll on the brains of social animals like us.

The pandemic has also highlighted the value of another connection. Social-distancing has given many of us a chance to make stronger connections with the natural world. More time to walk in parks and explore local trails. More time to stare out the window at bird feeders.

As we make our way back to pre-pandemic life, it is important that we continue to foster these connections to nature. Because ecological distancing is taking a toll on our health and our planet.

For most of our human history, we were all deeply connected to the natural world. We all have farmers, gatherers, herbalists, hunters and healers in our collective family trees. Earlier versions of ourselves who lived in close contact with nature. Earlier versions of ourselves who could tell the time and season by looking at the sky and deeply knew the lives of plants and other animals.

These connections still exist in Indigenous cultures. But for many people from western traditions, our connection with nature has been co-opted. Our innate abilities to quickly process shapes and colours that once made us all experts in plant and animal identification are now used to distinguish corporate logos. The personal reflection that a walk through the forest once brought is now a multibillion-dollar wellness and mindfulness industry. Our sense of place has been replaced with product placements and an urge to seek out familiarity in franchises.

Unfortunately, disconnecting our lives from nature is not turning out well.

Nature is much more than a part of our lives. It is our lives. And it’s not just air, water, food and climate security. Being in nature — having a connection to nature — physically alters your mind and body. Walking through a forest will change what’s happening in your brain. Spending time in nature changes the bacteria that live in your gut and makes us more creative and better problem-solvers.

The evidence is very clear. Being in nature makes us better people. Ecological distancing risks disconnecting us from a part of ourselves that we need to thrive.

Nature has fared much far worse in the current disconnect between humanity and ecology. Our human influence now permeates the planet. Up to one million species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades. Technology has provided us with many wonderful advances that make our lives better, but it has also created an illusionary curtain between people and nature. As a result, many of us have lost our connection to the natural world. Sadly, when we lose our connection to nature we are less likely to care for nature. While we blame the loss of nature on threats like habitat loss or pollution, these are all rooted in ignorance and apathy. Symptoms of an increasingly ecologically distanced world.

There is progress in stopping ecological distancing. Solutions to close the gap between the nature we have and the nature we need. The World Health Organization is calling for the protection of nature as the source of human health. The Wildlife Conservation Society is one of the leading organizations behind One Health, a movement to recognize the links between people, wildlife and the environment. Doctors across Canada are now prescribing nature to their patients.

Opinion: The pandemic has given many of us a chance to make stronger connections with the natural world, writes Dan Kraus @WCS_Canada. #WeStandForWildlife #WildForAll

At a personal level, there are simple steps we can all take to rediscover the benefits of having a connection with the natural world.

Spending just 20 minutes in nature will lower stress levels.

Watching birds can contribute to your happiness.

Even just looking at pictures of nature can help to focus your thinking.

Make nature part of your life. Get dirt under your fingernails. Identify wildflowers. Pee in the woods. Get mud on your boots. Breathe deep in the company of trees. Eat and drink with friends by a bonfire. Close the distance between you and nature. Take a moment to celebrate the wonders of evolution or the glory of creation. There are many paths to connecting with nature, and all are welcome.

Connecting with nature makes us better people. People who don’t want to see nature disappear.

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Dan Kraus is the national director of conservation at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. He has over 25 years of experience in ecology, environmental planning and conservation in the public, private and NGO sectors. Kraus teaches about wildlife extinction and recovery at the University of Waterloo.

Find him on Twitter @NatureDanimal

With citizen science apps, amateurs and experts both expand their horizons

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 19:05:00 GMT

Canada is too big for researchers to track all of its flora and fauna. Nature apps provide valuable wildlife data for scientists, who return the favour by sharing expertise. Interviewed in this The Narwhal article is WCS Canada Scientist Peter Soroye.

Indigenous perspectives bring ‘feeling and caring’ into conservation planning

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 01:07:00 GMT

WCS Canada's Jared Gonet shares his thoughts with Folio about why it’s vital to include traditional ways of knowing in conservation solutions.

How each of us can help protect biodiversity as the Prairies warm

Mon, 16 May 2022 15:36:00 GMT

WCS Canada conservation planning biologist Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle says protecting biodiversity as the Prairies warm starts in our backyards. Read more on CBC.ca

This Pioneering Collaboration Will Open a New Window Into Bird Migration

Mon, 16 May 2022 14:58:00 GMT

Pooling research from numerous international partners, Audubon's Migratory Bird Initiative promises to paint the fullest picture yet of the awe-inspiring phenomenon of blackpoll warbler bird migration. Included in this story is WCS Canada scientist Hilary Cooke's blackpoll warbler research conducted in Summer 2020 in northern British Columbia.

Ontario must proceed with caution in the switch to EV vehicles

Mon, 16 May 2022 14:23:00 GMT

Math first, dig later. In this letter to the Toronto Star, Susan Sheard cautions the Ontario government in their switch to EV vehicles, referencing WCS Canada scientist Lorna Harris' research on peatlands and the Ring of Fire.

Pour faire des voitures électriques, le Canada laisse détruire des tourbières

Mon, 16 May 2022 14:08:00 GMT

Les tourbières canadiennes sont de formidables pièges à carbone. Mais ces milieux humides sont fortement menacés. Un projet de mine visant à extraire des matériaux pour fabriquer des batteries de véhicules électriques est, notamment, vivement contesté. Lorna Harris, chercheuse de la Wildlife Conservation Society Canada se demande dans quelle mesure ce vernis vert n’est pas plutôt une nouvelle manière d’accélérer le business minier.

Opinion: Government must make the case for mining in the Ring of Fire

Mon, 16 May 2022 03:06:00 GMT

Conservation scientists Constance O'Connor and Justina Ray say success of mining projects depend on solid environmental assessments

Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan confirms commitment to peatlands

Mon, 16 May 2022 02:50:00 GMT

Canada’s Emissions Reduction Plan reaffirms a commitment to “Investing in nature and natural climate solutions” through a $780 million fund to “conserve, restore and enhance Canada’s vast and globally significant endowment of wetlands, peatlands and grasslands to store and capture carbon.” In this article, President and Senior Scientist Justina Ray comments on peatlands as one of the greatest carbon capture systems on Earth.

An Ever Green story about a massive climate solution

Tue, 03 May 2022 17:40:00 GMT

“Ever Green,” a newly published book about Saving Big Forests to Save the Planet, is a mantra of hope in our global crisis of climate disruption that explains the opportunity and need to keep these forests intact.

How climate change will change Canada - and how we can make our communities more resilient

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 15:37:00 GMT

For biologists and land use planners alike, the future of Canada’s natural landscapes is becoming more dynamic and less certain. “We can see the front line of the crisis here, where our species are really struggling,” says Dr. Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle, a conservation planning biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. Read more here.

Les experts de l’ONU se tournent vers le savoir traditionnel autochtone dans l’Arctique

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 15:15:00 GMT

Don Reid, un biologiste de la faune pour la Wildlife Conservation Society Canada à Whitehorse, pense aussi que le monde occidental aurait tout intérêt à écouter et s’inspirer davantage des Premières Nations, notamment pour ce qui est de la gestion des feux de forêt et des risques qu’ils posent à l’habitat de certaines espèces.

The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) approves Kootenay Lake conservation programs for 2022

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 15:06:00 GMT

The Regional District of Central Kootenay’s board of directors have approved the recommendations for this year’s conservation programs around Kootenay Lake. WCS Canada will receive $13,000 to fund bat habitat enhancement around the lake, report the Toronto Star and the Nelson Daily.

Bat Research & Education on the Prairies

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 14:59:00 GMT

Cory Olson, Program Coordinator for WCS Canada’s Alberta Community Bat Program, says the program was initiated to improve the management of bats in Alberta in advance of the arrival of White-nose syndrome, reports Eco-Friendly West.

Rich nations called to provide $60 bn a year to address biodiversity loss

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 14:51:00 GMT

Leading environment groups, including Wildlife Conservation Society, agreed that the US, EU nations, the UK, Japan, Canada and other wealthy countries should support a target of at least $60 billion annually to address biodiversity loss

Environmental groups urge UN biodiversity talks to embrace ‘Nature-Positive by 2030’ goal

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 14:42:00 GMT

Multiple NGOs including The Nature Conservancy, WWF International, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and BirdLife International and business coalitions such as Business for Nature and WBCSD call on negotiators to revise the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework’s Mission

Mining Ontario's Ring of Fire could help build green energy — but also damage vital peatlands

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 14:26:00 GMT

Dr. Lorna Harris, a carbon and peatland researcher at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, estimates that the area of the proposed Ring of Fire development alone locks away the equivalent of around 1.6 billion tonnes of CO². Find out more in this article featured in the CBC What on Earth newsletter.

Researchers race to study probiotic before white nose syndrome spreads to B.C. bats

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 17:55:00 GMT

WCS Canada Bat Scientist Cori Lausen speaks on the urgency of the Western Canada Bat Program probiotic project.

What will climate change actually look like on the Prairies?

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 18:12:00 GMT

Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle, our conservation planning biologist, explains how biodiversity in the Canadian Prairies is affected by climate change. Read the CBC article and watch a video here.

Climate Researchers on the Most Hopeful Things They’ve Seen Yet

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 17:55:00 GMT

WCS' Director of Coral Reef Conservation Emily Darling gives us her reasons on having hope in the face of climate change.

No mining in wetlands, says conservation group as feedback ends for Yukon's draft wetland policy

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 17:32:00 GMT

Conservation Zoologist Don Reid explains the importance of wetlands to Yukoners and WCS Canada's position on Yukon's draft plan for wetlands.

Watch: COP26 | The essential carbon service provided by northern peatlands and the Hudson Bay Lowlands

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 19:10:00 GMT

We can do something about climate change, starting with protecting the gigantic carbon storehouses across Canada’s north: peatlands. We explained what is at stake at the COP26 Global Peatland Pavillion in Glasglow.

Watch: how to save Ontario’s ‘precarious’ Greenbelt from development pressure

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 15:33:00 GMT

An all-star panel of experts offers insights about sustainable growth and how to keep Southern Ontario’s protected gem safe, even as proposals to build highways and kickstart development threaten to chip it away.

The Search for a Global Carbon Fix Leads to a Scottish Peat Bog

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 19:22:00 GMT

Peatlands are natural carbon sinks, but they’re becoming carbon emitters. This article on Scottish bogs mentions the WCS Canada scientists working towards protecting northern peatlands.

What lies beneath: Exploring Canada’s invisible carbon storehouse

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 17:21:00 GMT

New research reveals what scientists have learned about the scale and distribution of a massive carbon reservoir lying just below the surface in wilderness areas across the country — and what’s at stake for the planet if it’s disturbed. President and Senior Scientist Justina Ray comments on managing this massive areas.

Decades-long plan to protect caribou in Nunavut nearing completion

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 17:55:00 GMT

The Nunavut Land Use Plan (NLUP), which uses both scientific knowledge and traditional Inuit knowledge, is finally in its consultation phase after having been developped for over ten years. This plan has the potential to protect Nunavut's caribou herds.

For the Love of Bats

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:36:00 GMT

A quick look into the work that the Western Bat Conservation Program does to save bats in Western Canada .

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COMMENTARY: We need to plan for the inevitable – a hotter and more extreme Yukon

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 17:08:00 GMT

WCS Scientists Chrystal, Don and Hilary discuss the importance of putting climate change front and centre in the Yukon’s Land Use Planning processes.

Where federal parties stand on Canada’s sexiest emissions fix: nature-based climate solutions

Sun, 19 Sep 2021 21:45:00 GMT

Canada has a huge role to play in the global fight against the climate emergency — simply by not destroying the intact forests, grasslands and wetlands that naturally store carbon. Here’s how the major parties are leveraging everything from conservation goals to restorative agriculture to Indigenous Guardians programs in their campaign platforms.

Where Canada’s federal parties stand on three big climate and environment issues ahead of the election

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:14:00 GMT

Canadians who watched the English-language leaders’ debate learned little about the differences between the climate policies of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives, Jagmeet Singh’s NDP and Annamie Paul’s Greens. Here’s what the federal election debate missed. Also quoted is WCS Canada President and Senior Scientist Justina Ray.

Bat-killing fungus plaguing eastern North America found in Saskatchewan

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 12:45:00 GMT

White-nose syndrome is moving west. Our innovative monitoring program has found evidence of the fungus that causes WNS in Saskatchewan. Now we will need to closely monitor bats to see what happens next.

KBA Canada on the world stage

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 20:27:00 GMT

Chloé Debyser presents Canada's national assessment of its KBAs at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille

Canary in a Gold Mine

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 02:49:00 GMT

Follow Chrystal, Dan, Patrice and Evan to the field and see what WCS Canada's bird research team has been doing to research cumulative effects in Yukon.

What will it take to protect Ontario’s caribou?

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 11:46:00 GMT

With the population declining, First Nations, environmentalists, and others are working together to safeguard boreal caribou — and their habitat — before it’s too late.

Scientists fear for wildlife in Ontario's boreal forest as wildfires get more frequent and intense

Sun, 25 Jul 2021 12:08:00 GMT

CBC spoke to 3 scientists about impacts on animals in water, on land and in the air

Dr. Matthew Scrafford: Community science is helping track wolverines in the Cascades

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 13:36:00 GMT

Dr. Matt Scrafford takes us through how the WCS Canada wolverine team in Northern Ontario is helping the communities near the Cascade Mountains in Washington to better identify wolverine tracks - in hopes to get more information on these elusive carnivores.

Key Biodiversity Areas in Canada: Updates and Progress

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 14:15:00 GMT

This special webinar explored all aspects of work completed over the last two years to identify and delineate Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) in Canada, and presented plans for the next two years.

Key Biodiversity Areas for focus biodiversity conservation in Canada

Tue, 25 May 2021 02:14:00 GMT

A presentation by Jaime Grimm for the International Association for Great Lakes Research 64th Annual Conference on KBAs for focus biodiversity conservation in Canada.

Unlocking Ontario’s fishy secret

Tue, 25 May 2021 02:05:00 GMT

The far north in Ontario is an aquatic haven. At least 50 species of fish can be found in the Arctic drainage basin in Ontario. Connie O'Connor and Meg Southee explain how they predicted which fish species are where, how they identified key areas for freshwater diversity and why we should protect these habitats.

How government scientists tried — but failed — to protect endangered bats from a Site C dam quarry

wcs canada — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 06:15:00 GMT

The perfect coincidence of geothermally heated cliffs, a deciduous forest and wetlands created a unique mecca for bat species that is now being disturbed and logged to provide quarry rock for the relocation of a provincial highway for the Site C dam. An investigation by The Narwhal reveals government biologists and bat experts, like WCS Canada's Cori Lausen, fought to protect the rare hibernacula and critical habitat to no avail

Melting ice in Arctic linked to bowhead whales holding off annual migration

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 01:48:00 GMT

Using data extracted from underwater tape recorders, WCS Canada's Western Arctic team concluded that that the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas bowhead whale population did not make their annual journey in 2018-2019. Dr. Stephen Insley states it is unclear whether this change was a migration anomaly and explains potential factors that could explain why this occurred.

Digging deep on costs and benefits of mining in Yukon

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 11:57:00 GMT

The Yukon Government has embarked on a review of the rules around mining in the territory. WCS Canada weighed in with a comprehensive set of recommendations urging the government to create a framework that better acknowledges the significant ecological impacts of mining.

Also featured: Punching a hole in caribou habitat - the implications of the proposed Kudz Ze Kayah mine project on the already struggling Finlayson Caribou Herd.

Envisioning Compatibilities between Mi'kmaq Environmental Values and KBA Criteria in Mi'kma'ki

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 17:01:00 GMT

Recording of the KBA webinar presentation by WCS Canada post-doctoral fellow, Dr. Jeffrey Wall.

Wolverine: Tracking the elusive trickster

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:13:00 GMT

WCS Canada scientist Matthew Scrafford has been studying wolverines in the boreal forest in northern Ontario for three years. This Canadian Geographic article explains Matt's GPS data that shows wolverine family dynamics as they hunt and scavenge.

Canada committed to protecting 30% of our territory by 2030. Which 30% should it be?

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 16:47:00 GMT

WCS Canada scientist, Dr. Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne is the coordinator the the Canada Key Biodiversity Areas initiative. Here, she talks with CBC's Bob McDonald, host of Quirks and Quarks, about how Canada can meet its goal of protecting 30% of lands and seas by 2030.

Bats are superheroes of the night. Their superpowers could help us protect them.

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 16:04:00 GMT

Bats' ability to echolocate is an incredible innovation. It's also one that can help us protect them.

Beluga whistles and clicks could be silenced by an increasingly noisy Arctic Ocean

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 19:52:00 GMT

This article by WCS Canada scientist Dr. William Halliday explains how climate change is increasing the noise levels under Arctic waters, and why the increasing cacophony can spell trouble for belugas.

IBAs and KBAs in Canada: Bridging the Gap for Birds

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 06:12:00 GMT

Recording of the KBA webinar by Andrew Couturier on the relationship between Key Biodiversity Areas and Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs).

New story map: A quest for chinook salmon in central Yukon

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 07:46:00 GMT

For the past two years, WCSC and the First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun have been working together to inventory salmon spawning habitat, water quality and sources of erosion in the Beaver River watershed using both Traditional knowledge and Scientific knowledge. This story map recreates our steps and how a partnership can help build bridges for conservation planning.

Getting into the details: how to identify Key Biodiversity Areas, and a look into an ongoing regional KBA initiative in Yukon

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 19:43:00 GMT

The second presentation in our Key Biodiversity Areas webinar series. Presenters Jaime Grimm and Maria Leung discuss how to identify Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) and an ongoing KBA Initiative in Yukon.

Ontario Government undermines protection of watersheds and natural areas

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 16:55:00 GMT

The Ontario government has been making fundamental changes to environmental legislation in this province, often under the cover of budget omnibus bills. We've created this page to keep you up to date on these - and possible further - changes.

Social for science: Using smartphone photos for research

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 19:35:00 GMT

Digital and cellphone cameras are now so ubiquitous that millions of images are captured around the world every day. These photographs have the potential to achieve more than just wowing our friends on social media, however. They may also contain important ecological clues about our rapidly changing planet.

It’s time to abandon the ‘detect and react’ approach to managing crises

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 19:42:00 GMT

Health policies typically respond to environmental threats by dealing with the consequences, but we can't keep up with the increasing rate of emerging threats. We need to build resilient human and natural communities.

WCS Canada scientist presentations for the Ontario Wildlife Webinar Series

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 18:01:00 GMT

Presentations on wolverine research and management relative to commercial forestry and combining science and stewardship of Namayo (lake sturgeon) in the far north in Ontario.

How Key Biodiversity Areas can guide conservation in Canada

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 15:55:00 GMT

KBA Canada Coordinator, Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne, presented a brief overview of the KBA concept and program in Canada, and was be joined by Dan Kraus (Nature Conservancy Canada, Senior Conservation Biologist), and James Snider (World Wildlife Fund-Canada, VP of Science, Research and Innovation) to share recent reports from their own organizations, and how they relate to KBAs.

How are northern fish responding to cumulative environmental changes? A 4-minute PhD Thesis

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 17:49:00 GMT

Northern regions are warming at rates two to three times global levels. In addition, mounting local human development pressures may combine and interact with co-occurring climate change pressures, leading to unexpected impacts on northern biodiversity. Watch this four-minute overview of W. Garfield Weston alumnus, Alyssa Murdoch's PhD research to discover how northern fish, and the people that depend on them, may be influenced by rapid cumulative environmental changes.

Understanding Wolverines

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 09:56:00 GMT

Elusive, tough and resourceful, wolverines may be our most misunderstood natural neighbour… and that’s getting in the way of conservation efforts for this embattled species. Some intrepid researchers are out in the wilds to learn more before it is too late. An article featuring research by WCS Canada wolverine expert, Dr. Matt Scrafford.

Why The Pandemic is Telling Us That Our Relationship with Nature is Broken

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 21:33:00 GMT

A webinar by Dr. Justina Ray summarizing the latest scientific findings on how the COVID-19 pandemic was sparked, the links between declines in biodiversity and loss of intact ecosystems round the world and the rise of viral spillover events, along with policy implications.

Peatlands: Vital for carbon storage and stewardship

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:15:00 GMT

Peatlands, a type of wetland, are unique ecosystems particularly noteworthy because of their unusually deep organic soils formed by thousands of years of waterlogged decaying plants and mosses. They are a vital resource – a filter for ensuring rivers run clean, a haven for wildlife and, as we now increasingly appreciate, a huge storehouse for carbon.

Prioritizing multiple land uses and Indigenous values for conservation

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 18:41:00 GMT

A recording of Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle's presentation on Prioritizing multiple land uses and Indigenous values for conservation at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology 2020.

Freshwater conservation planning in an intact boreal landscape

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 18:53:00 GMT

A recording of Meg Southee's presentation on identifying priority watersheds for the conservation of freshwater fish in Ontario for the ESRI User Conference 2020.

Northern fish are tough, but climate change is causing some to dwindle

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 08:12:00 GMT

Northern stream fish come from a long line of hardy adapters. But the survival tools these fish have used for millennia — exceptional tolerance to cold, slow growth rates and long lifespans — could be a disadvantage as environmental conditions in the north warm and more fast-paced species move in.

New framework identifies climate change “refugia” in boreal forest

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 19:52:00 GMT

A major research project from the University of Alberta and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada outlines pockets of Canada's boreal forest that may give wildlife more time and space to adjust to a changing climate.

Eavesdropping on whales

Sat, 06 Jun 2020 17:50:00 GMT

WCS Canada's Dr. William Halliday talks about how the Arctic soundscape is changing and why, and what steps WCS Canada’s research team is taking to help lower the noise level for whales.

Key Biodiversity Areas

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 07:29:00 GMT

One way to focus conservation efforts is by using a new conservation tool called Key Biodiversity Areas
(KBAs). KBAs are areas with exceptionally high biodiversity values. KBAs may be areas important to
endangered or rare species or ecosystems, sites that hold large aggregations of species at certain times
of the year (e.g. migratory stopovers for birds, or caribou calving grounds) or large ecologically intact
areas with low levels of human disturbance.

Thinking big to conserve small but important species

Thu, 21 May 2020 15:56:00 GMT

Through the Key Biodiversity Areas program, rare, endemic and underappreciated species are finally getting their due as important components of their ecosystems.

Five conservation experts weigh in on the future for wildlife post-COVID-19

Tue, 19 May 2020 14:36:00 GMT

The slowdown of human activity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to some surprising benefits for wildlife conservation. Can we keep them going after the danger has passed?

Canada's ‘rich carbon sink’ peatlands need urgent protection, story map shows

Wed, 06 May 2020 16:30:00 GMT

Northern peatlands—the richest carbon sinks on the planet and epicentres of biodiversity—are in urgent need of protection from human development, the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada asserts, in a detailed “story map” that outlines why and how these “enormous carbon storehouses” must be preserved, with Indigenous peoples leading the way.

It’s time to start paying attention to Canada’s peatlands

Fri, 01 May 2020 08:58:00 GMT

Meg Southee, WCS Canada's GIS Analyst and Spatial Data Manager writes about the importance of conserving northern peatlands for Canadian Geographic.

Can bats be saved?

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 10:55:00 GMT

A wonderful piece written for the Canadian Wildlife Magazine that explores the challenges faced by bats, and what we're doing to help. Featuring WCS Canada's Dr. Cori Lausen.

Engaging Science

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 14:38:00 GMT

WCS Canada President Dr. Justina Ray has been named the inaugural winner of the Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution President’s Award for Societal Engagement!

Back to the Basics: Re-evaluating Bat Boxes based on Bat Needs

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 19:25:00 GMT

A webinar given by WCS Canada's Dr. Cori Lausen, hosted by the Kootenay Conservation Program.

Hasty development of Ontario’s Ring of Fire could have devastating impacts

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 08:00:00 GMT

WCS Canada scientists, Justina Ray and Cheryl Chetkiewicz explain what's at stake when developing the Ring of Fire in the far north in Ontario

Coronavirus outbreak shows the risk in ignoring human activity’s impact on nature

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 18:47:00 GMT

Human activities that degrade or encroach on wild habitats increase the likelihood of humans catching such diseases, and create many other health risks too.

Wolverine: Ghost of the Northern Forest

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 18:36:00 GMT

A CBC documentary featuring WCS Canada scientist, Dr. Matt Scrafford.

Beluga whales’ silence speaks volumes

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 15:27:00 GMT

We don’t fully understand how the growing acoustic disturbances caused by human activities on the ocean – such as sonar, oil drilling or the movement of large shipping vessels – is affecting whales and other marine mammals. But judging by their behaviour when exposed to these noises, we can speculate that it is at best unwelcome and at worse a survival threat that interferes with communications, causes extreme stress, and can even lead to death.

Commentary: Burning wood for energy is not a climate-friendly policy

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 15:22:00 GMT

Hilary Cooke and Don Reid, based out of the Whitehorse office of WCS Canada explain why biomass energy, or wood burning, isn't a green alternative.

The Long Shot: Saving Western Bats

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:27:00 GMT

A documentary about WCS Canada's work to save western bats

Warmer, wetter climate benefits some birds as wetlands vanish

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 15:20:00 GMT

The grasslands of the Canadian Prairies are a hidden gem for bird watchers, with millions of migratory birds passing through the area each year. But they are also one of the most transformed landscapes in the world, vanishing more quickly than the Amazon rainforest. Our new study found that climate change is affecting birds and aquatic insects more strongly than the temperature and precipitation in a given year.

Commentary: Change is on our doorstep

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 13:19:00 GMT

Yukoners are fortunate to be surrounded by wildlife in our daily lives. We could casually dismiss reports on the biodiversity crisis as irrelevant to Yukon where our wild nature is flourishing. That would be short-sighted and even dangerous. Change is on our doorstep.

What’s the Best Way to Welcome Bats to the Neighborhood? The Goldilocks Approach.

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 20:11:00 GMT

Recent observations suggest possible problems with bat houses, and a need to revisit artificial roost structures. In fact, existing approaches may only meet some of the varied needs of bats and could, in some cases, create death traps in a rapidly warming climate.

Fighting a bat killer: B.C. scientists testing new way to combat deadly fungus

Sun, 25 Aug 2019 17:05:00 GMT

Our bat research team was interviewed about their work to stop the spread of white-nose syndrome.

Roosts for Tomorrow - Bat Houses Put into Context

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:17:00 GMT

A webinar by WCS Canada scientist, Dr. Cori Lausen on the considerations that should be made for the use of bat houses.

Mapping out a new approach to biodiversity protection

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 16:51:00 GMT

Canada has committed to protecting 17% of our land base by 2020. So far, we're only at 10.7%. We also need to do a better job of identifying areas that are well suited to protecting biodiversity.

That is why we are excited to launch a new conservation tool called Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Canada. Identifying Key Biodiversity Areas can help us pinpoint areas that serve many different species or that are highly unique and/or under severe threat.

Burned and beetle-killed forests need protection too

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 19:54:00 GMT

With forest fire season underway in Western Canada, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada has just released a timely report on the ecological value of burned and beetle-killed forests.

Saving our caribou forces us to face tough questions

Thu, 16 May 2019 18:20:00 GMT

We all benefit from healthy ecosystems and biological diversity. It should not be up to any one community to bear the burden of making long-overdue changes to the way we approach protecting wildlife and wild places.

Justina Ray discusses the contentious issue of caribou conservation in British Columbia.

Ontario turns Endangered Species Act into an empty shell

Fri, 10 May 2019 18:18:00 GMT

Dr. Justina Ray, WCS Canada President, provides comments on the changes made to Ontario's Endangered Species Act as the U.N. releases a scientific report detailing Earth's biodiversity crisis.

Studying the Elusive Wolverine, a Threatened Species in Northern Ontario

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 19:18:00 GMT

Matthew Scrafford is the Wolverine Conservation Scientist within Ontario’s Northern Boreal Landscape program at WCS Canada. In this piece for the Thunder Bay Field Naturalist, Matt describes how he found himself a wolverine expert, and the challenges and rewards he faces trying to conserve the species in the field.

Read Matthew's article in Nature Northwest here

Life Under the Ice

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 19:32:00 GMT

With ice melting in Canada’s Northwest Passage, the area will soon be a new route for international shipping. This will have potentially big impacts on the life there. We are studying the area and planning for this with local communities, government scientists, and managers. For one part of that work, we are going to document the marine life in the western Canadian Arctic, in particular the remote and mostly frozen Viscount Melville Sound. Let’s look under the ice!

Ontario’s review of Endangered Species Act must address long-term ecosystem damage

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 19:46:00 GMT

Are protections for endangered species just another bureaucratic burden that is holding back economic development in Ontario?

That’s the below-the-surface premise that seems to lie behind the Ford government’s latest action to “streamline” environmental regulation in this province. Last week, the government announced a review of the Endangered Species Act, saying that the current act is “unclear, administratively burdensome, time consuming and costly for applicants, and (creates) barriers to economic development.”

Read the full iPolitics Op Ed

Mapping the decline of Canada’s caribou

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 19:50:00 GMT

“Caribou: one hoof in the grave.” So read the epitaph on a two-metre-high tombstone Greenpeace erected in front of federal environment and climate change minister Catherine McKenna’s office on May 1, 2018. The stunt aimed to draw attention to the plight of the country’s boreal woodland caribou, the protection of which has faced “many delays” according to a mid-April 2018 report from the federal environment commissioner.

All of Canada’s caribou subspecies have increasingly been in the news as the animal’s national population, which once numbered in the millions, has declined drastically and quickly to little more than a million today. Experts are concerned some populations may not survive the threats they’re facing. One herd, British Columbia’s South Selkirk, had just three females left in April 2018.

Read the full Canadian Geographic Blog

A whale of a problem developing in Canada’s Arctic

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 19:57:00 GMT

The horrors of right whales drowning in tangles of fishing ropes and the alarming prospect of endangered orcas crossing paths with oil-laden tankers has created more than a few headaches for the federal government. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, the feds have been forced to respond to public—and legal—demands that more be done to save threatened cetaceans.

But Canada actually borders three oceans and it is in that often overlooked third ocean—the Arctic—that the fate of whales could become the next marine crisis for Ottawa.

The whole story is available on The Hill Times and requires a subscription to access.

You can also access the WCS Canada research paper here.

Keeping carbon on the ground

Wed, 12 Sep 2018 20:48:00 GMT

To mark the Global Climate Action Summit, WCS scientists have authored a series of blogs about how we are working with Indigenous Peoples to advance conservation and climate action, from the Congo to Canada’s Boreal. In the final part of the series, WCS Canada’s Cheryl Chetkiewicz looks at the important role of boreal forests, wetlands and peatlands in storing carbon and how Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas could play a central role in helping to keep these massive storehouses of carbon protected, while also advancing reconciliation around parks and protected areas in Canada.

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and Climate Change in Canada’s Boreal Forest

Wed, 12 Sep 2018 20:01:00 GMT

At 5.6 million square kilometres, Canada’s boreal region is one of the largest forests in the world and one of the Earth’s most important forest carbon storehouses, making it critical to the global effort to address climate change. The boreal forest contains almost twice as much carbon per unit area as tropical forests.

In addition to the carbon stored in surface vegetation, carbon has accumulated and been conserved over millennia in the soils, wetlands, peatlands, and permafrost – all of which are integral parts of the boreal forest. Taken together, the boreal forest and associated soils and wetlands store an estimated 208 billion tonnes of carbon – the equivalent of 26 years of global carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Read the full article here.

Taking it slow can help reduce impacts of Arctic shipping on whales

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 20:05:00 GMT

For 19th-century adventurers like Sir John Franklin, navigating a path through the ice-choked Northwest Passage — the Holy Grail of Arctic exploration — was a treacherous and often deadly undertaking. Today, thanks to climate change, traveling through the passage is quickly becoming another exotic option for cruise ship passengers — and an enticing shortcut for cargo ships.

But an increasingly ice-free Arctic means more than just a chance for a new sightseeing adventure: Significantly increased ship traffic is altering the submarine calm of one of the quietest places on Earth. That could have serious implications for marine mammals and fish that rely on sound for group cohesion, socializing, finding mates, navigating, and detecting threats.

Read the rest of the commentary on the Mongabay site.

Opinion: Everyone can help Alberta's bats

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 20:15:00 GMT

Alberta has more than just oil and gas underground - it also has the largest bat hobernaculum found in the boreal forest in Western Canada. Hundreds of bat hibernate in a muddy cave carved out of bedrock by weak sulphuric acid northeast of Edmonton. It may not sound like the most luxurious living space but it is safe. It may not be for much longer.