We Stand for Wildlife  

Documentary

The Long Shot: Saving Western Bats

Learn about our work to combat white-nose sydrome and save bats

Watch here
Conservation Report

Protecting wild places on a big, big scale

We've proposed a network of protected areas in BC's Greater Muskwa-Kechika

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Northern Mountains and Yukon
Wolverine
Big picture conservation solutions
Freshwater Fish
WCS Canada scientists get their boots muddy studying wildlife and wild places across Canada in hopes of spurring action to address our growing biodiversity crisis.
Bats
Wild Places
Arctic Mammals
far north in Ontario
Our work to save wildlife
Blog

A new conservation tool

Key Biodiversity Areas help us pinpoint areas that are most important for protecting of biodiversity

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Blog

Change is on our doorstep

Yukon holds among the last large spaces that remain wild on the planet. We cannot ignore our responsibility as the fortunate inhabitants of a place where nature abounds.

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Latest policy comments

Joint Comment - Proposed changes to the Crown Forest Sustainability Act - January 2020
Our President and Senior Scientist, Dr. Justina Ray and Dr. Ian Thompson (Thompson Forest Consultants Ltd.) provide comments to the Ontario Government's proposed changes to the Crown Forest Sustainability Act.
WCS Canada Comments - Yukon's Our Clean Future Strategy - January 2020
Yukon Government's draft strategy ("Our Clean Future") deals with climate change, and energy supplies, while promoting a green economy. We provide support and encouragement for various useful policy intentions such as expanding the suite of geothermal, solar, and wind sources of energy. However, we are concerned that the strategy promotes biomass energy (burning wood) as a low-carbon energy sources, in the same category as wind and solar in terms of its value in replacing fossil fuels. More extensive and intensive burning of wood for space heating will not significantly reduce the Yukon's carbon footprint, but will lock the territory into many decades of high-carbon emissions from this sector. In addition, we are critical of the government's intention not to include emissions from mines in the accounting of the carbon footprint, and to allow mines to work towards lower carbon emissions using intensity measures (carbon emitted per unit mineral production) rather than absolute measures (total carbon emitted from all sources per year). The strategy does not recognize the huge value of intact forests and landscapes for their carbon sequestration and storage properties.
WCS Canada Comments - Yukon Government's Promotion of Biomass Energy - January 2020
We urge the Yukon government to reconsider its previous support and promotion of biomass energy as a suitable replacement for fossil fuels in the response to the climate crisis. We explain why burning wood cannot be considered as either carbon neutral or even "low-carbon" in terms of its emissions. We point out that emissions from burning wood for space heating need to be included in the government's annual accounting of emissions, and not overlooked as carbon neutral. We also point out some of the negative health consequences already experienced in Yukon as a result of wood burning.

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Photo credits: Banner | John Meikle © News | Muskwa-Kechika: Ryan Dickie ©, Bat: Cory Olsen ©, Caribou: Susan Morse ©, Yukon stream: Susan Morse ©, Mosaic | Northern Mountains: Hilary Cooke © WCS Canada, Wolverine: Susan Morse ©. Brook Trout: Engbretson Underwater Photography ©, Bat: Cory Olson ©, Wild Places: Hilary Cooke © WCS Canada, Ontario River: Constance O'Connor © WCS Canada, Caribou: Susan Morse © 

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WCS, the "W" logo, WE STAND FOR WILDLIFE, I STAND FOR WILDLIFE, and STAND FOR WILDLIFE are service marks of Wildlife Conservation Society.

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Address: Suite 204, 344 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3A7 | 416-850-9038