Canadian Plan to Protect Endangered Species
10/7/96
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Canada sets plan to protect endangered species
10/7/96
Copyright 1996 by Reuters
OTTAWA (Reuter) - Canada's government introduced a bill Thursday to
protect endangered species such as the whooping crane and bowhead
whale.
The proposed legislation protects all species on federal land, as well
as migratory birds across the country and fish and marine mammals off
its shores. The number of species at risk in Canada has tripled to 276
in the past 10 years.
Covering the vast Yukon and Northwest Territories, which extend beyond
the Arctic Circle, this accounts for more than 60 percent of Canada
and protects much of the habitat of the vulnerable polar bear.
But ecologists say most of Canada's species live in the warmer
southern portion of the country. Six of Canada's 10 provinces do not
have any legislation to protect endangered species, though the two
largest do -- Ontario and Quebec.
The bill aims to fulfill a promise made during the 164-nation Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 to legislate protection of endangered
species. Canada does not have a national law on the subject.
A new set of penalties including fines up to $1 million Canadian
($750,000 U.S.) and five years' imprisonment for killing, selling or
capturing threatened species.
Environmental groups say the bill does not go far enough in preserving
the wetlands, forests and other wilderness areas animals and plants
need to survive. They say habitat destruction accounts for 80 per cent
of species loss in Canada.
They want Ottawa to set national standards that will protect animals
which migrate across provincial boundaries.
The World Wildlife Fund calculates that at least 240 acres of Canadian
wilderness is lost every hour to logging, mining, hydro-electric dams
and other development.