Federal government lags in implementing Species at Risk strategies

Interim Environment Commissioner Neil Maxwell estimates that Environment Canada has such a backlog of recovery strategies required under the Species at Risk Act that it could take 10 years to catch up. Included in that backlog is the plan for the wood bison habitat in Northern Alberta. A recent environmental audit criticized the federal government for not doing enough to protect at-risk bison herds. “In the situation of the wood bison, the populations have declined by over 90 per cent and the recovery strategy is six years out of date,” said Maxwell. The environmental audit says critical habitat is threatened by oil and gas development.