A Parks Canada plan to protect endangered and threatened species in Banff National Park is facing criticism for lacking detail, or any sense of urgency.
The Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) wants to see specific financial and personnel commitments in the action plan, as well as definitive target dates for completing proposals in the plan.
AWA’s Ian Urquhart said the group also urges Parks Canada to revise its action plan, including the identification of species’ critical habitat and portions of species’ that have not been protected as identified under Species At Risk Act (SARA).
“The action plan doesn’t have ambition or the urgency that one would expect in a document that’s designed to seriously address SARA issues,” said Urquhart, a professor in the University of Alberta’s department of political science and part of AWA’s conservation staff.
“In terms of detail, without hearing from Parks Canada about what they’re going to do with respect to new programs, personnel or new financial resources, we have no way of holding them accountable for anything that’s in this plan,” he added.
“It ends up being a document of good intentions, and not much else. There’s no substance at all.”
Species at risk included in the Banff plan include threatened a southern mountain population of woodland caribou, westslope cutthroat, common nighthawk and olive-sided flycatcher, as well as the endangered little brown bat, whitebark pine and Banff springs snail.
Most of the species have separate recovery plans required by federal legislation; however, a proposed strategy for little brown bats and a recovery strategy for whitebark pine is still under development.
Parks Canada declined an interview request on its proposed action plan and response to AWA’s concerns. The agency emailed a 132-word statement, but did not address concerns raised by AWA.
“The input received, including the letter from the Alberta Wilderness Association, will be carefully reviewed and considered in finalizing the multi-species action plan for Banff National Park,” according to the statement.
The action plan for Banff National Park identifies population monitoring plans for species at risk and conservation and recovery efforts, including looking at such issues as disease management.
For westslope cutthroat trout, for example, one of Parks Canada’s stated goals in the plan is to restore water flows and connectivity in areas where the habitat of the species has been affected by dams and culverts in ways that threaten population viability.
Westslope cutthroat also face threats from competition and hybridization with non-native trout species.
To ensure the survival of pure westslope cutthroat trout, the plan states non-native fish species must be removed from the aquatic ecosystem in areas that historically supported naturally occurring westslope cutthroat trout.
Parks has done this successfully, for example, at Hidden Lake, where brook trout were removed to restore westslope cutthroat, and Rainbow Lake, now home to westslope cutthroat after the removal of non-native rainbows.
“These proven active management techniques can now be applied strategically at additional key sites to further advance recovery of this species at risk,” according to the plan.
As for the common nighthawk, the causes of population declines are less understood than some of Banff’s other species at risk, but their nests on the ground are susceptible to trampling or harassment by off-leash dogs.
“If common nighthawk nests are identified, active measures many be required to protect those nests and birds from direct disturbance,” states the plan. “This could potentially include human-built structures such as flat, gravel rooftops.”
The action plan indicates reintroducing caribou to Banff after the remaining remnant population was wiped out in avalanche in 2009 may be more challenging than boosting Jasper’s dwindling herds.
“Caribou recovery efforts will be contingent on the availability of captive-bred animals, and the persistence of a sufficient amount of suitable habitat with low predation risk,” the plan states.
No new critical habitat – habitat necessary for survival or recovery of listed wildlife species – is identified in the Banff action plan. Critical habitat for some species has been identified previously in their respective recovery strategies.
AWA has concerns that no new critical habitat has been defined.
“Presumably with work at Rainbow and Hidden lakes, surely that’s critical habitat?” said Urquhart.
