Canada goes the way of the Dodo

The Dodo Bird and dinosaurs are undoubtedly the most recognizable extinct species. The dodo has become the quintessential symbol of biodiversity loss because it is the first known species whose extinction can be directly attributed to human activity.

It was in the mid 16th century, when humans arrived on the island of Mauritius, that things started going wrong for the dodo. This 45lb flightless bird was completely fearless of humans. But believing that these new island inhabitants would share the land with respect for its original inhabitants and live in balance with its surroundings was something the dodos would come to regret. Only 80 years and many meals of roast dodo later, the species was completely extinct. But this was the 16th century, so can we really blame our ancestors for the ignorance of their actions?

Right now in Nagoya, Japan, the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is going on and Canada has just been named winner of the Dodo Award for leading the way to species extinction. This honour was bestowed upon us for our unhelpful behaviour in Access and Benefits Sharing negotiations, particularly in relation to Indigenous Peoples’ Rights. Canada was the only country to block reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the text. Action today ripples through the future, and a lot can change in 80 years. Whether it’s for better or for worse is our choice. This time, claiming ignorance is not an option.

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Canadian Insects Love Maple Syrup Too!

A recent study out of Prince Edward Island collected and identified insect species that met their demise in traditional maple sap collecting buckets. The researchers, surprised at the biodiversity they found, identified 28 species in total: 8 species of moths, 18 beetle species and 2 caddisfly species, most of which had never been recorded in PEI before!

Three species of moth in particular (L. innominata, E. tristigmata, and E. vinulenta) appear to be very interesting sugar fiends. These moths maintain a body temperature of 10° C higher than any other moths because they have adapted the ability to shiver to keep warm and have air sacks around their thorax that acts as insulation. They are also active in the winter when the temperature rises above freezing. These moths need the sugar from sap to have enough energy for all these physiological processes and special adaptations. So when they get the chance, the moths will gorge themselves on the stuff. They are capable drinking 94.5% their body weight in syrup in one sitting… oh to be so lucky. 

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Life on the Side of a Cliff

Out of cracks in the rocky cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment, 1000 year old trees have found a way to grow, enduring the harsh elements, stunted growth and solitude… all for a spot with a view!

The 725 kilometre long Niagara Escarpment began to take shape over 450 million years ago as a tropical sea bed. Over millions of years, sediments have compressed to rock and water flows have carved the dramatic cliffs, caves and hills that we see today. The Niagara escarpment is the most bio-diverse region in Ontario. In fact, it is home to: 36 species of reptiles and amphibians; 53 species of mammals; 90 species of fish; 350 species of birds; and 1500 species of plants.

It is also in one of the most populated areas in the province and there is great urban pressure on local biodiversity. That’s why in 1985, the Niagara Escarpment Land Use Plan was born. The Plan is Canada’s first large scale environmental land use plan. It balances protection, conservation and sustainable development to ensure that the trees get to keep their view and the Escarpment will remain a natural environment for future generations.

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Name the Canadian Mammal that Releases Stink From its Ankles

Here’s a hint: it’s been on the quarter since 1937. If you answered “Woodland Caribou”, then you’re absolutely correct! When a caribou encounters a potential threat, it rears up on its hind legs and sends out a stinking warning from a scent glad at his ankles. The smell in turn alerts all other caribou in the area.

Of course, if the caribou knew that its entire population was threatened it would probably be kicking up quite a stink! The main factors leading to caribou declines are habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation. Habitat degradation and loss means a reduction in the amount or quality of caribou habitat, as happens following such events as wildfires or logging, and spreading human populations. Habitat fragmentation is the breaking up of habitat areas by roads, logging cuts, pipelines, mining, oil and gas well sites, geophysical exploration lines, and other developments. Caribou in the boreal forest require large areas of relatively undisturbed, older forest habitat in order to spread out. This makes them harder for predators and hunters to find, and older forests tend to be richer in the lichens caribou depend on.
 
According to archaeologists, for over 13,000 years the Aboriginal and Inuit peoples have been sustainably hunting caribou, with many populations relying on it for their survival. So far, significant steps have been taken to protect both the woodland caribou and boreal forests that have shaped Canada’s natural and cultural landscape.

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It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane. No… It’s the Fastest Plant on Earth!

The bunchberry plant (or dwarf dogwood) is the fastest plant on earth. This native Canadian species can be found from coast to coast in woodland areas, especially coniferous forests. In the spring, the plant has green leaves and nice white flowers, while the summer brings bright red berries. In the fall, the bunchberry’s leaves turn to a beautiful burgundy.

Where does the plant get its speed? It’s all in the pollen. In the center of every flower there are several small tightly closed buds. Each bud has a trigger—a 1 mm filament that sticks out from the bud and waits…waits…waits. Finally, an unsuspecting insect goes by, triggering the small bud to explode open, anthers springing out and pollen shooting out with such force that each grain experiences 800 times the force of gravity that the space shuttle does during liftoff! The insect, subsequently covered in pollen, carries it away and fertilizes other plants in the process.

Fascinating plants and animals like the bunchberry are right outside your doorstep! Let the International Year of Biodiversity be your excuse to reconnect with the natural world.

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Is Our Local Waterway Healthy?

Mayflies (a.k.a. dayflys, shadflies, fishflies) are one of the most common winged insects. Mayflies hatch and spend most of their life cycle as nymphs frolicking in the muck found on the bottom of lakes, rivers, streams and creeks and feasting on tiny bits of plant debris. In adult form, they live for less than 24hrs — just long enough to mate and secure the next generation. There are 630 different species of them in North America, and 2500 world wide!

The mayfly nymph is very sensitive to pollution and low oxygen levels in the water. Population monitoring is often used by scientists and environmentalists to gauge the health of fresh water ecosystems. Lots of mayflies mean the water is healthy. Most people’s experience with mayflies is wiping all the dead bodies off a picnic table. Next time you are sitting by the lake and you see a mayfly, be happy that the water next to you is a healthy waterway!

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Blow a Bubble for Bubblegum Coral!

Who knew that you could find bubble gum in the frigid North Atlantic waters? Bubblegum coral, named for its likeness to the Bazooka Joe treat, can grow up to 3 meters high and is one of 27 species of cold water corals found off the coasts of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. These corals were only discovered 10 years ago, and already they are deemed vulnerable marine ecosystems.

Cold water corals are extremely fragile. They are very brittle and are easily destroyed by almost any physical disturbance. Once destroyed, it can take hundreds of years for them to recover because they grow at such a slow rate. One trawling fishing vessel can completely wipe out a 1000 year old reef in only a few hours, leaving behind scarred ocean floor.

So far there is only 1 marine protected area (MPA) in Canadian waters dedicated to cold water corals and that MPA actually omits the most diverse areas of reef for the sake of fishing. It is no coincidence that the best fishing areas and reef locations almost always overlap. Corals provide habitat for many other deep sea creatures and play an integral role in supporting healthy fish populations. 

Canadians from coast to coast can help protect the biodiversity of the cold water corals by making sustainable seafood choices and thus withdrawing their indirect support for trawling-type fishing.

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Oceanic Road Kill

Killer whales are found in oceans all over the world (including all 3 of the oceans surrounding Canada), from arctic to tropical waters. They live in pods of 40-50 individuals, can live to be 50-80yrs old and have no natural predators. They are intelligent and deadly hunters. Working together as a pod they cunningly hunt everything from squid, sea turtles, fish, whales, seals and sea birds. Yet somehow the whales, also know as orcas, find themselves on the Species at Risk Act (SARA) list under “special concern, threatened and endangered” depending on the ocean.

How is this happening? Human activity is directly affecting the Killer Whales. They frequently travel in busy fishing lanes, resulting in collisions with recreational and fishing vessels, exposure to pollution, and entanglement in fishing gear. Noise pollution also affects their ability to communicate and hunt. The survival rate for calves between 0-6 months is only 50%. Killer Whales are becoming oceanic road kill!

The shipping of our consumer goods and the fishing for our food are threatening the killer whale. International Year of Biodiversity is an opportunity to identify instances where people are negatively impacting species and think of creative ways to sustainably live alongside wildlife.

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It’s Alive! or The Secret Life of Dirt

Some of the most naturally fertile soil in Canada can be found in the grasslands of Saskatchewan and Alberta. The rich dark soil is called chernozem and contains a very high percentage of humus (compost). As plants and animals grow and die, they leave behind their minerals and organic materials. Nature’s recyclers - insects, arthropods, earthworms, bacteria and fungi - eat this organic material and make it their home by constantly moving and mixing it. What a life! These diverse living things, their waste products, and the remains of other living things are all part of healthy soil.

Large scale agricultural practices affect the natural composition of soil. As plants grow they absorb nutrients from the soil. During the harvesting process, the entire plant is often removed instead of being left in the fields to be recycled, thus the nutrients and organic matter rarely end up back in the soil. Different plants have different nutritional needs. So, in fields where there is no plant diversity, after only a few growing seasons everything that one variety of plant needs to grow gets used up. This creates the need to artificially return the nutrients to the soil with fertilizer. In developing countries, where the survival of communities depends on local agriculture, the soil needs to be used in a way that will preserve its integrity.

The theme for the 2010 International Day of Biodiversity (IDB) is “Biodiversity, Development and Poverty Alleviation”. This year, please learn to understand, respect and love your dirt. Promote poverty alleviation solutions that encourage sustainable use of resources and the safe guarding of biodiversity. Dig in!

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In a World Where Intact Wilderness is Rare

The Yukon’s Peel River watershed is one of the largest and most beautiful intact natural areas left in North America. Most of the 68,000 km2 watershed is pristine. It is home to species that are rare or threatened elsewhere, including grizzly bears, wolverines, pine martens, peregrine falcons, barren ground, mountain and woodland caribou, and Beringian plants. The Peel watershed is an ancient cultural landscape and an important fish and wildlife harvesting area for First Nations.

Mining and oil and gas extraction threaten to fragment this stunning landscape and harm its delicate ecological balance. In December 2009, after years of research, consultation and planning, the Peel Watershed Land Use Planning Commission recommended protecting 80% of the Peel watershed (www.peel.planyukon.ca). Until a final decision is made, the Yukon government implemented a one year withdrawal from mineral staking and oil and gas rights issuance in the entire Peel watershed. 

This year’s biodiversity theme is ‘biodiversity for development and poverty alleviation’. In Canada, this means promoting the preservation of undisturbed and culturally significant ecosystems. By integrating biodiversity considerations into development policy we can ensure these rare and beautiful spaces are protected.

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Phytoplankton! The Foundation of the Ocean Food Chain

Marine phytoplankton are tiny unicellular marine creatures, of which there are about 5000 different species! Like plants, they use photosynthesis and minerals dissolved in the water to produce energy. Each individual phytoplankton is too small to be seen with the human eye but together they form blooms visible from space. And, together they form the foundation of the entire ocean food chain. These microscopic species are eaten by small fish that are eaten by big fish, which are eaten by bigger fish that are eaten by even bigger fish, etc…

Ocean acidification, caused by increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, is affecting the phytoplankton populations by making iron and carbonate ions, two elements essential to their survival, less available in water.

The story of phytoplankton inspires us to see how every small step we take to reduce the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere can add together to have fantastic cumulative effects. During the International Year of Biodiversity, we can challenge ourselves to take such steps and understand how our lifestyles impact ecosystems all around us, right down to the smallest creatures in the ocean. 

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Graveyard of the North Atlantic…or not?

Sable Island, a remote sandbar island 150km off the Nova Scotian Coast, has been dubbed the “graveyard of the North Atlantic” because of the over 350 shipwrecks it has caused. And well, people haven’t had much more luck inhabiting Sable Island than ships have navigating around it. Historical inhabitants tried to plant agricultural fields only to have them washed out by ocean water. They tried to introduce populations of horses, cows, pigs, sheep, rabbits, rats, cats, dogs and foxes, to have them all perish except the horses. Sable Island has certainly earned its nickname, proving to be quite uninhabitable.

Uninhabitable…well not necessarily. Humans and some of our favourite furry mammals have not had much luck living on the island, but it is home to 17 plant species and 600 invertebrates! Sable is frequented by 330 species of birds, most of which use it as a pit stop - resting their wings and grabbing a snack.

The International Year of Biodiversity is a chance to celebrate variety and remind ourselves that every corner of the Earth is home to something. Humans are only 1 of earth’s 1.75 million species. Even though we are only one small part of biodiversity this is no time for Canadian modesty, because we are the only species with the power and responsibility to protect all the others.

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Meat eating plants and over 50 species of butterflies—in Northern Ontario!?

With 73 species of birds, 53 species of butterfly and 5 insectivorous plants, Williams Bog in Thunder Bay, Ontario has a biodiversity profile that you’d expect to find in a tropical paradise. The 600ha bog, located within the city limits, is all that remains of peatland that once covered the whole area. This mecca of life provides the city with vital ecosystem services. The bog filters and purifies rain and runoff water, and it is a breeding ground for insects that in turn pollinate agricultural crops and plants that exhale fresh clean air.

2010 is International Year of Biodiversity (IYB): an opportunity to reflect, educate and reconnect with nature. Places like Williams Bog are all over Canada, often right outside your doorstep. Human activity is causing biodiversity loss; these losses are irreversible and threaten the life support system that we rely on. We are a part of biodiversity, and we have the power to protect it.

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