Species at risk studied
Published: July 14, 2008 5:00 AMHuman activity and climate change continue to threaten B.C.’s biodiversity and species at risk, according to a new scientific report. The report identifies numerous species such as mountain caribou that are threatened, and details the impact of wetlands, dams and water diversions on habitat. Habitat loss from forestry, agriculture and rural/urban development is a key threat. “Although about two per cent of the province’s land base has been converted to human uses, the magnitude of conversion is dramatically higher in the three rarest biogeoclimactic zones: Coastal Douglas fir, bunchgrass and Ponderosa pine,” the report says.
Environment Minister Barry Penner said that the government has set aside more than one million hectares to protect species such as the spotted owl, mountain caribou and Vancouver Island marmot. Environmental groups urged the government to toughen laws protecting endangered species and habitat.
