WCS Canada Annual Report 2018
"WCS is one of the most impressive, foremost organizations working to save the world’s wildlife." - Sir David Attenborough
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As a leading voice for conservation science in Canada, it has been a busy year for Wildlife Conservation Society Canada. We have tackled issues ranging from the survival of caribou and bats to the growing impacts of climate change on Arctic whales with our trademark emphasis on using cutting-edge science to highlight problems and solutions.
We focus on places like the Arctic, the boreal mountains and river valleys of BC and Yukon, and the far north in Ontario because these big wild areas present a chance to “get it right” when it comes to protecting biodiversity. Canada has made a commitment to protecting 17% of its terrestrial area (and 10% of its marine areas) by 2020 as a way to help conserve the wild landscapes and still abundant wildlife of this huge country. One way we are working to help the government with this urgent task is by leading a program to identify Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs). By shifting our focus toward areas that have strong ecological values and that are important to wildlife rather than simply visually stunning, KBAs can help us meet Canada’s international commitments to biodiversity conservation in a more effective way.
This fits well with our experience mapping out areas that are important to key species. In the Bighorn Backcountry of Alberta, for example, our research on how wolverine, grizzly bear, bull trout and bighorn sheep use this large wild area played an important role in spurring the Alberta Government to propose the creation of a major new Wildland Park and three complimentary Provincial Parks in this largely undeveloped — and highly diverse — landscape adjacent to Banff and Jasper National Parks.
But we don’t just focus on protecting specific places. Our work also places an emphasis on broader threats, from climate change to new diseases. In the Arctic, for example, climate change is leading to the rapidly accelerating loss of summer sea ice. This, in turn, is leading to increased ship traffic through one of the quietist places on Earth. Our Arctic research team has been busy measuring the impact of increased ship noise on whales in the western Arctic. They have also identified some practical measures – from putting in place speed limits for ships and shifting shipping lanes – to help whales cope with noise that can interfere with communications, make food more difficult to locate and lead to deadly collisions.
Meanwhile, in BC and Alberta we are racing to increase our understanding of the region’s many bat species and to develop responses — including a probiotic preventative — that we hope will help these bats survive the almost inevitable arrival of a deadly fungal disease — white-nose syndrome.
WCS Canada scientists are on the ground gathering critical information on wildlife and wild places, from bat caves in British Columbia to lake sturgeon spawning grounds in Ontario’s boreal forest. Our evidence-based approach to documenting issues and solutions is highly effective. We have developed a strong partnership with the BC government on bat conservation, we’re working with the federal government on more measures to protect Arctic whales, and we are also working with First Nations to protect wild rivers in Ontario’s north. In fact, recognizing the importance of seeking out and listening to Indigenous knowledge has become a key way we are strengthening our approach to conserving critically important areas.
Thanks to the great staff at WCS Canada, we are gathering more scientific evidence and using our results to shape conservation actions across Canada. It is challenging work, but we believe that with your continued support, we can make a real difference for wildlife.
For more on WCS Canada’s mandate and vision and full financial statements, visit our website.
Justina Ray
President and Senior Scientist
"The story of how we tracked wolverines across a huge expanse of wilderness is just one of the wild tales we shared this year.
We knew there were wolverines in the vast boreal forests in northern Ontario (thanks in part to our seven years of aerial surveys), but they were seldom seen and rarely studied. So we set out to find – and track – these wily creatures. Working in deep snow and even deeper cold, we have successfully captured, tagged and released a number of animals. We also located a wolverine den (with mom inside) -- only the second found by scientists in the province. One of the young males we have been tracking travelled 200 km west to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, demonstrating just how much space wolverines need to survive. We’re now in a great position to start answering questions about these elusive animals, such as how they fare in areas with more human activity, whether they are expanding their range in Ontario, and how they are coping with climate change.
We believe that working together to conserve wildlife and wild places is an important way to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. It is also the smart thing to do for conservation, given the significant local knowledge and deep relationships with wildlife held by Indigenous Peoples. We have been advancing the idea of community-based monitoring as a way to leverage this knowledge and awareness to both protect cultural values and better inform our scientific understanding of what is happening on the landscape. Meanwhile, in Yukon and northern British Columbia we are working with First Nation communities by sharing our expertise on conservation of fish and wildlife species to assist with the design of protected areas, while in northern Ontario, we have been working directly with Moose Cree First Nation on a fascinating study of the differences in lake sturgeon behaviour in dammed and undammed rivers. And in the western Arctic, we are working with Inuvialuit communities to monitor seal health and diet as an indicator of the broader health of Arctic marine ecosystems.
How do you help bats survive a deadly disease? Maybe some probiotics would help. WCS researchers have been working with scientists at Thompson Rivers and McMaster Universities on a probiotic solution that they hope will help bats fight off deadly white-nose syndrome (WNS). WNS kills bats during hibernation and has already eradicated millions of bats in eastern North America. We think that one way to increase bat survival when WNS starts to spread into the west might be to use naturally occurring bacteria to fight WNS. WCS has been testing a probiotic powder on captive bats in central BC and early results are promising. We are also looking at how bat boxes might be used to apply the probiotic powder we are developing, while also investigating concerns that the boxes may need redesign or redeployment to deal with overheating issues being caused by climate change.
The Arctic Ocean is one of the quietest places on Earth thanks to a thick covering of ice during most of the year and a light human presence. But climate change will alter the Arctic soundscape dramatically by both increasing natural sound from wind and waves and making it easier for noisy ships to travel through the Northwest Passage. Our Arctic research team has been taking a deep dive into the potential impacts of increased ship traffic and noise. Based on our monitoring of both ship noise and whale communications, we have identified a number of steps that the federal government could take to help whale and other marine mammals. They include lowering ship speeds, requiring on-board observers when in whale-rich waters, and moving shipping corridors away from areas with high whale concentrations and marine protected areas. We will continue to build the case for putting in place proactive solutions before ship traffic becomes a major threat to whales and other marine mammals in this remote and beautiful seascape.
The outgoing Alberta government drafted a bold plan for a suite of protected areas — including a large new Wildland Park — to protect the Bighorn Backcountry adjacent to Banff National Park. This highly diverse area which boasts forested valleys, fast flowing rivers, and rugged mountain slopes, is ideal for wildlife and includes room for them to shift with habitat changes caused by a warming climate. The Bighorn area also connects to the larger Rocky Mountain corridor and helps keep clean mountain water flowing through central Alberta. WCS Canada’s research created a blueprint for how to protect this jewel of the Rockies. Now we will be working to help the new Alberta government see the many advantages of protecting this key wild area.
Whales use sound to communicate with their group and to find food. Noise can interfere with these communications.
What sparked your interest in animals and nature?
My grandparents had a cabin on a lake, and I spent a lot of time there when I was growing up. I think that spending so much time outdoors – and also being lucky enough to have so many family members around who could explain things about the natural world to me – really instilled a love and respect of animals and nature.
Why study fish?
I have always been interested in all things aquatic, and when I was younger I would spend hours at the tiny beach at my grandparents’ cabin, catching little fish with a butterfly net, so that I could inspect them, and then let them go. So, I think that studying fish is partially because of this longstanding love of lakes and their inhabitants; partially serendipity; and partially because I think that studying fish is really important from both an ecological and social perspective. Globally, fish are a vital human food source, and freshwater ecosystems are hotspots of biodiversity, and also hotspots of human activity. Freshwater covers less than 1% of the world’s surface, but is a home to 10% of all known animals. At the same time, people rely on freshwater for so many things, from drinking water, to irrigation for agriculture, to hydropower, to supporting industry. Because freshwater and fish are so important, it is both incredibly challenging and rewarding to work in these ecosystems.
What is your trick for surviving long days in the field?
Food! After a long day in the rain or snow, it makes all the difference to get some comfort food. And chocolate.
What is one of the most surprising things you have learned about fish?
I think that the most surprising thing – that maybe shouldn’t be so surprising – is how complex their behaviour is. We normally only see fish out of their element, when they are temporarily captured, and it doesn’t give us a very good perspective of how interesting their behaviour is when they are under the water and hidden from our view. Watching fish, especially diving and snorkelling, but also tracking tagged fish remotely, opens up a whole other world. For example, many fish provide parental care. It’s fun to watch these dads (usually it’s just the males that provide the parental care in fish) carefully digging their nests, tending their eggs, and then protecting their juvenile offspring. There are also fish that live in social groups, and it’s fascinating to watch how the fish interact with each other, and to see their little social dramas.
The world of fish can seem quite mysterious to us landlubbers. But fish are far more interesting than many of us think, with complex communication and behaviour patterns that largely go unnoticed as they swim out of sight in their watery world. Freshwater fish are a major focus for WCS Canada because fish tell us about both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems – healthy rivers have healthy fish and are part of healthy landscapes. They are also vitally important to communities particularly in the north as a source of food and a part of Indigenous cultural traditions. Of course, fish, like other wildlife, are struggling with challenges ranging from waters warmed by climate change to migration routes cut off by dams. Our Freshwater Program research team has created a story map, The Water We Share, that takes you on an illustrated journey through the underwater world found in thousands of lakes and rivers across the north. The map illustrates the importance of the thousands of lakes and rivers that make the far north in Ontario as much water as land and how we are working to protect this globally important aquatic realm.
Our story map takes you beneath the surface of a fascinating aquatic world.
Bull trout in Alberta prefer cold water, making them vulnerable to climate change
We work hard to develop cutting-edge conservation science and we want everyone to know about it. We strive to make our scientific findings accessible and to explain what they are telling us about what it will take to keep Canada wild. Here are some recent examples of stories that shared our work:
Caribou in crisis
Our work with Canadian Geographic to map out the decline of caribou across Canada led to front page news across the country. The maps produced by Canadian Geographic with input from WCS Canada laid out the alarming story of just how much trouble caribou are in from coast to coast. These maps brought into focus what is at stake for this iconic species and the pressing need to change current approaches to managing development in the North. WCS Canada continues to work to highlight the need to reduce disturbance in core caribou habitat to help this species survive all across Canada, whether it is small and increasingly isolated populations in the southern mountains of BC, thundering herds of barren ground caribou in the Yukon, or small groups slipping through the northern forests of Ontario and Québec.
A noisier Arctic
In the Arctic, our research team has watched summer sea ice melting all around them. Less ice will mean more ship traffic, and ship traffic means more noise. Our team is documenting the problem, and providing the research to support solutions like slower ship speeds as they explain in this story in Mongabay.
Bats on wheels
Our western bat team has been racing to prepare for the arrival of deadly White-nose syndrome in BC and Alberta. In this piece from the Edmonton Journal, our lead bat researcher, Dr. Cori Lausen, explains how a WNS infected bat could arrive any day simply by hitching a ride from areas to the east and how Alberta and BC residents can help to protect bats and increase their odds of survival.
Speaking of endangered…
Federal and provincial governments have proven to be quite reluctant to take the kinds of steps really needed to protect species at risk, including protecting critical habitat. In a piece for iPolitics, WCS Canada President addresses the myth that protecting species must come with high economic costs and raises the question of what failing to act will cost us in the long run.
Action to save caribou is urgent.
Stand with us to protect wildlife and wild places by making a donation to our conservation science across Canada.
Your support for our scientific research, knowledge sharing and policy advocacy helps us to go further, learn more and paint a compelling picture of what is at stake in Canada’s wild places. Our unique blend of on-the-ground field science, cutting-edge conservation research and well-informed policy input has helped to protect key areas like Nahanni National Park Reserve, the Peel Watershed in Yukon and bat caves in British Columbia. But we focus on more than individual places or species – we also look at how to change perceptions, approaches and even laws to better keep the wild alive across Canada. Our supporters – large and small – make this work possible and we thank you for being a part of our work to save wildlife and wild places. Together, we stand for wildlife.
Moose - © Susan Morse
Stone sheep - Shutterstock
Bighorn - John Weaver / WCS
Background photo of bison: WCS
Background photo of whale tail: Julie Larsen Mahar / WCS
Rotating images:
Wolverine: © Susan Morse
Dr. Cori Lausen with bat: Jared Hobbs
Bearded seal: Shutterstock
Background photo of bull trout: Jeremy Stewart / DFO
Rotating images:
Young girl: Courtesy of Dr. Constance O'Connor
Dr. O'Connor in boat: Allan Lissner / Neskantaga First Nation
Dr. O'Connor with sturgeon: Biz Agnew / WCS Canada
Background photo of caribou antler: © Susan Morse
Caribou population map: Canadian Geographic
Background image of wolverine: © Susan Morse
Rotating images:
Marten: © Susan Morse
Polar bears: Jerry Lee
Cougar:
© Susan Morse
Background aerial image: WCS Canada
Lake image: WCS Canada
