Environmentalists Ask for Protection of Caribou Habitat

June 6th 2007

MARK HUME

VANCOUVER -- A study has found that 21 endangered species share forest range that is home to a dwindling population of mountain caribou in British Columbia.

A range-overlap assessment of at-risk species, to be released today by the environmental group ForestEthics, shows that a coming government decision on the use of that forest land will affect more than just mountain caribou.

'This raises the stakes for successful mountain caribou recovery because it illustrates that by protecting habitat for mountain caribou, you can protect ecosystems for 21 other species,' said Candace Batycki, director of the endangered forest program at ForestEthics.

The provincial government is currently trying to come up with a plan to save the endangered mountain caribou population, which is spread over a sprawling forest zone just west of the Rocky Mountains in central and southern B.C.

The mountain caribou population in B.C. - which has dropped to an estimated 1,200 animals from a historical level of about 10,000 - is spread over about six million hectares of forest land, much of it in prime logging, mining and tourism areas.

'The significance of this [study] is that it illustrates the importance of protecting ecosystems,' Ms. Batycki said.

The non-profit group used information from the B.C. Conservation Data Centre and the federal committee on the status of endangered wildlife in Canada to determine how many species at risk depend on habitat that overlaps with the mountain caribou range.

The study found that at least 21 species, ranging from grizzly bears to sandhill cranes and vivid dancers, a type of damselfly, can be found in the inland temperate rain forest ecosystem used by mountain caribou in central and southern B.C.

The provincial government has been working for several years on a strategy to protect the declining mountain caribou population in B.C. The project, which is expected to produce a final recommendation by the end of June, is complex because the government is trying to find a way of balancing economic factors against environmental needs.

Ms. Batycki wouldn't say how much of the six million hectares ForestEthics would like to see set aside for mountain caribou, but she said it has to be big if the far-ranging animals are to be saved.

'We would like to see a significant chunk of that mountain caribou habitat protected,' she said. 'When you see how these species overlap, you realize just how significant this conservation opportunity is. ... The future of 21 at-risk species will be tied to this decision.'

Of the 21 species listed, 16 are blue listed by the province, indicating they are of special concern, and four are red listed, or endangered. One, the western toad, is not listed by the province, but is of special concern to the federal government.