Habitat Protection and Recovery Strategies

No matter if you are fish or lichen, bug or slug, bird or human—everyone needs a good home. But for many, a good home is hard to find.

Habitat loss and degradation is the primary cause of decline for 84% of species at risk in Canada.

When a species is listed, the Species at Risk Act (SARA) requires that the habitat crucial for its survival and recovery be identified in a recovery strategy. Yet the majority of recovery strategies do not identify and map critical habitat as required by SARA (Section 41).

For example, the recovery strategy for the Piping Plover-- a sparrow-sized bird identified as endangered more than 20 years ago--was released with no identification of critical habitat. Yet the Federal government had sufficient data available to make that determination.

Left with no options, the David Suzuki Foundation joined with partner environmental organizations in 2006 to file legal action against the federal government for failure to effectively implement the Act.

In response, the Government re-released a still flawed Piping Plover recovery strategy, this time with partial identification of critical habitat. There are many recovery strategies that await similar due process.

For the SARA to live up to its intended purpose, decision-makers must follow the rules and procedures outlined within the Act. Canada's natural legacy depends on it.

The David Suzuki Foundation will continue to monitor the delays in recovery strategies and the extent to which critical habitat is identified, where scientifically possible to do so.