e-4277 (Environment)

The Government of Canada is committed to halting and reversing the loss of our country’s rich biodiversity. In support of this commitment, Environment and Climate is leading the development of Canada's 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy. The 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy will establish a shared vision for halting and reversing biodiversity loss in Canada, reflect Canada’s domestic priorities for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, and guide how Canada implements the Global Biodiversity Framework domestically.

The Government of Canada recognizes that the environment and the conservation of biodiversity is a shared responsibility in Canada, and that real progress can only be made if all levels of governments share objectives and work in collaboration to achieve them.

Species at risk are on the front line of biodiversity loss, and the federal, provincial and territorial governments have been working cooperatively to protect and recover Canada’s imperiled species for close to three decades. The Government of Canada respects provincial and territorial jurisdiction and therefore first looks to them to protect terrestrial species and their habitat on non-federally administered lands.

Federally, the Species at Risk Act (SARA) is the Government of Canada's key legislative tool to protect and recover endangered and threatened species and their habitats. SARA provides a legal framework for identifying, listing, and recovering species at risk. The legislation mandates the development and implementation of recovery strategies and action plans, with the goal of preventing species extinction and promoting their recovery. SARA also includes provisions for critical habitat protection and cooperation between federal, provincial, and territorial governments, intending a coordinated effort to safeguard Canada's diverse wildlife and ecosystems, and supports the Government of Canada’s international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Oldgrowth Specklebelly Lichen is listed as a species of Special Concern on Schedule 1 of SARA andis identified as a Blue listed species by the British Columbia provincial government. The distribution of Oldgrowth Specklebelly Lichen overlaps with that of several other federally listed species at risk within old-growth forests throughout coastal British Columbia including Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii.

As required under SARA, a Management plan for the oldgrowth speclebelly lichen (Pseudocyphellaria rainierensis) https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.833290/publication.html was published in 2017; in addition, measures to achieve the management objective for the species have been set out in the Multi-species action plan for Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and 2 other sites www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/action-plans/gwaii-haanas-national-park-reserve.html

In addition to fulfilling its obligations under SARA for the species, the Government of Canada recognizes that more needs to be done to protect the old-growth forests that support the Oldgrowth Specklebelly Lichen.

Canada’s forests, and in particular British Columbias’s old-growth forests, are rich with biodiversity and provide important habitat for a range of wildlife. In addition to these habitat functions, forests are key to the health of our climate, influencing rainfall, temperature, and other metrics. Temperate old-growth forests, like those in British Columbia also function as important carbon reservoirs.

Forest management is the jurisdiction of provincial governments, and the vast majority of Canada's forests are located on provincial and territorial Crown lands. In British Columbia, approximately 96% of forests are on provincial crown land. At the same time, the federal government is committed to supporting the province’s effort to manage and conserve old-growth forests given their significance for migratory birds, species at risk and their role in mitigating the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems and their associated wildlife.

To demonstrate federal support, the 2022 federal Budget established a $50 million Old Growth Nature Fund, which will focus on protecting at-risk, high productivity old-growth forests that are of prime biodiversity value and identified as important for species at risk, migratory birds, climate mitigation and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Specifically, federal funding will support planning and collaboration with British Columbia and Indigenous communities, and provide incentives for third-party funders, to permanently protect and conserve large areas of at-risk old growth forests in the province. The Old Growth Nature Fund will also contribute directly to the Government of Canada's commitments to achieving Canada’s 2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal and net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. The old growth temperate rainforests of British Columbia are among the largest natural carbon sinks in the world (on a per hectare basis) and are among the most efficient ecosystems at capturing carbon in Canada. High productivity old-growth supports critical habitat for SARA-listed species such as the Oldgrowth Specklebelly Lichen, Marbled Murrelet and Northern Spotted Owl.

Federal officials are also working with their provincial and Indigenous colleagues and partners both to finalize a Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation and to explore additional ways to encourage and support the province in its efforts to protect and restore habitat.

The federal government has also contributed to protecting nearly 400,000 ha of forest habitat in British Columbia. This includes conservation projects under programs such as the Target 1 Challenge, the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, and the Ecological Gifts Program.

The federal government is also working to ensure forests, including old-growth forests, are considered in the context of ongoing species at risk and nature-related engagement with provincial and territorial partners. For example, Environment and Climate Change Canada, provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, and stakeholders are engaged in the development of a forest sector action plan that will help guide collaborative efforts to recover species at risk under the Pan Canadian Approach to Species at Risk.