Species At Risk

The new NDP government is considering options for management of species at risk in BC, and has signalled an intention to introduce stand-alone species at risk legislation. The Business Council supports the idea in-principle, but we urge the government to take time to explore the best options for ensuring effective management of species while also maintaining the province’s competitiveness and a vibrant natural resource sector.

Highlights

• Canada is signatory to both the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the 1991 Convention on Biological Diversity.
• Canada’s 2002 Species at Risk Act is in direct response to these agreements, aimed at identifying, assessing, and managing endangered, extirpated, threatened species.
• As of July 2017, Canada had 549 endangered, extirpated,threatened, or special concern species. About 42% of these are in British Columbia.
• British Columbia is one of the Canadian jurisdictions without a specific endangered species act. We manage using a collection of legislation, regulations, and guidelines.