Some endangered B.C. species are at risk due to a federal government loophole

Some critical B.C. species — including salmon populations and a certain type of bumblebee — might be at risk due to a federal government loophole.

A new study from Simon Fraser University (SFU) examined the “bureaucratic limbo” that endangered species are getting caught up in as they wait to get listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

“Since 2017, of the 288 species assessed as potentially in need of protection under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), only 17 (5.9 per cent) have been processed within the government’s own recommended timeline,” reads a release from SFU.

To get a species on SARA, there are two steps, explained Peter Thompson, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at SFU.

First, there’s an independent scientific evaluation of the species’ population, trends, and threats. That report is published and sent to the government.

Next, Thompson said the federal government will conduct additional consultations to see if there are any other potential impacts, to see if listing this species will have unintended consequences on Canadian people, communities, or the economy. The government uses this information to decide if it should add the species to SARA or not.

“What we found is that it takes them a very long time to make those decisions–sometimes over 10 years–despite there being government recommendations that it should only take one to two years,” Thompson told Daily Hive on the phone.

This includes dozens of Pacific salmon populations, which Thompson finds concerning due to their importance to local ecosystems.

“We’re really seeing no movement at all for dozens of different stocks or populations,” he said. “And often when we see information coming out on why these species are delayed, the reasoning is unsatisfactory.”

He said the federal government’s reasons are “very vague, like ‘we’re still analyzing the data.'”

Thompson pointed out that salmon have a “big industry” around them, which might complicate the federal government’s decision and delay their decision-making.

“[That might be] why it might not be so easy to rubber stamp and put them on the list.”

But he said he’s concerned about the lack of transparency about what’s holding up the process.

“That needs to change.”

The Suckley’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee is another species in limbo, having been on the list since 2020. Its range is across most of Canada, including B.C.

“Of course, pollinators as a whole are facing a lot of threats in terms of pesticides and other factors, and the Suckley Cuckoo Bumble Bee is a very poorly understood species. We know it’s endangered, but more attention on that species — that would come from protections in the Species at Risk Act–would really help out that situation.”

Daily Hive reached out to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the federal government ministry that manages SARA, to ask about the delay. We will update the story when the ECCC responds.

Consequences of the limbo

If a species is on the Species at Risk Act, it becomes illegal to remove or harm that species or destroy its habitat on federal land.

For example, Thompson said that lake sturgeon in Manitoba have been “sitting and waiting for their decision.” Meanwhile, a number of industrial projects have since been approved that are thought ot have negative effects on those populations.

Further, the Species at Risk Act brings attention and federal funding to species, which is especially important for unknown groups.

“There’s this clear increase in attention that comes when you’re added to that list, and there’s an opportunity to understand better what the threats are and develop a plan for how to save the species and keep it from going extinct in Canada,” Thompson said.

‘Complicated time’

Thompson acknowledged that it is “a very complicated time that we’re living in right now,” regarding a ballooning cost of living and economic attacks from the U.S.

“Sometimes those things are framed by some people as coming into conflict with the environment, and I think it’s important to remember how important it is to conserve biodiversity in Canada, and how important it is to come up with solutions that can allow Canadians to live prosperously but also sustainably.”

“I just want to make sure that we don’t forget about wildlife and we don’t forget about biodiversity.”