Report Says Protect Ecosystems, Not Species

Fundamental changes needed in approach to species at risk: task force By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun – July 5, 2011 Increased funding for research, greater consultation and an ecosystem-based management approach are among the recommendations of a government-appointed task force on species at risk released Monday. Committee chair Bruce Fraser, former head of the province’s Forest Practices Board, said in an interview that the current system of trying to protect one endangered species at a time is impractical.

“Do it by ecosystem, not individual species,” he said. “In the south Okanagan, instead of going after yellow-breasted chat today, sage grouse tomorrow and burrowing owl the day after that, put enough intact ecosystem into some form of protection that would deal with a large number of species as a package.”
read more