(February 25, 2016) Habitat loss is – by far – the most common reason species become at risk of extinction. There are many ways to combat this threat, including protecting key areas from human activities, and restoring habitat that has been removed or otherwise damaged.Habitat restoration must play a large role in recovery efforts for boreal caribou. Many populations are declining where human activities like forest harvesting, agriculture, settlement, oil sands and roads have damaged or destroyed their ...

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(January 25, 2016) Although we currently know surprisingly little about bats in winter in western Canada, WCS Canada is making giant leaps filling critical knowledge gaps through our on the ground research and citizen science programs. In 2015, WCS launched a new citizen science initiative call the BatCaver Program.  This citizen science program is aimed largely at cavers, mine enthusiasts, and others who go underground in western Canada, with funding support from Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewa...

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(January 03, 2016) The Paris Agreement on Climate Change, signed by Canada and 195 other countries, has been greeted with much fanfare and enormous relief. After decades of mounting scientific evidence for the negative impacts of a changing climate – on people, wildlife and all ecosystems from forests to oceans – the highest levels of government are finally recognizing climate change as an immediate threat. Now the real work begins. Canada is one of the highest per capita emitters of CO2, and...

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(December 01, 2015) A new Report warns of  the potential for major negative impacts on fish and fish habitat caused by large hydroelectric dams, like that currently under evaluation through the Next Generation Hydro initiative. The Report, which focuses on north-western Canada, notes that substantial destruction of fish habitats caused by such a dam, along with additional threats and effects will be either very expensive or impossible to mitigate.  “Potential Impacts and Risks of Proposed Next ...

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(November 26, 2015) It’s the story of the century: how will climate change reshape our planet’s natural systems? We tackle that story from a couple of unique perspectives in our just released annual report. First, we turn to the Arctic, where temperatures are rising faster than almost anywhere else on the planet. WCS Canada northern researcher Dr. Don Reid describes how melting ice and changing habitats are already threatening wildlife survival. WCS scientists at work in the Arctic. Further south, ...

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(November 25, 2015) WCS Canada has teamed up with cavers across western Canada in an effort to stop the spread of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) by launching the BatCaver program.Bats in North America face catastrophic declines due to a fungal pathogen causing WNS. Typified by a white fungus growing on the nose of bats, the disease kills the animals while they hibernate and has spread across eastern North America, with up to 99 percent mortality of bats in any given winter roost.The chief aim of the BatCaver program is ...

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(October 28, 2015) The spectacular scenery of the Castle wildlands in southwest Alberta has long been recognized, yet securing appropriate protection has been elusive. On September 4, 2015, however, the Government of Alberta finally designated ̴1080 km2 known as the ‘Castle Special Place’ as a Provincial Park and Wildland Provincial Park. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada played an important role by providing a conservation blueprint that solidified the scientific case for protection of th...

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(September 14, 2015) Live bait fishing uses live animals such as small fish, frogs, and leeches to attract larger game fish, and is popular with recreational anglers because it is an effective way to catch fish. Most anglers in Ontario use live bait, and the industry is valued at $20 million. Despite these benefits, the live bait industry also has downsides. In 2013, 60 million baitfish and leeches were harvested from wild ecosystems in Ontario. The removal of such a substantial portion of biomass can alter food web...

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(July 23, 2015) Nestled just south of Glacier National Park in Montana, where the Great Plains first meets the dramatic uplift of the Rocky Mountains, is the Badger-Two Medicine (B2M) area. Encircled by the majestic Glacier National Park, the foothills and prairies of Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and the rugged Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness Areas, the B2M occupies a strategic position in the international landscape known as the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem. The B2M is part of the traditional ...

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(July 09, 2015) Even though Ontario's mining sector has been in a downturn for the past two years, mining is still big business. Ontario’s mining sector directly employs 26,000 people and supports 41,000 more jobs within the mining service and supply industries. The sector made $11B in 2014 and invested $1.3B back into the province.   Mining has recently moved into Ontario's Far North. This remote region contains globally significant ecosystems and is home to many species at risk, including caribou, ...

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