Last year, Lakes District 亚洲天堂 asked the provincial government if any actions were being taken to enhance moose populations across the province.
Moose populations declined by 14 per cent in B.C. between 2011 and 2014. While moose populations have remained stable in some areas, there have been declines of as much as 70 per cent in some parts of the province.
In the Lakes District, the moose population declined by 20 per cent between 2004 and 2011.
The response from the provincial government at the time was that the decline was 鈥渘ot a conservation concern,鈥� and therefore no actions were being taken.
Well, the province has finally acknowledged that something needs to be done.
The B.C. government recently announced a new strategy to modernize aspects of wildlife management, saying the plan will initially focus on enhancing moose populations across B.C. However, the province didn鈥檛 say exactly how it was going to do it. Will the province implement a predator control program? Will the annual allowable harvest be reduced? Will the province take any actions to protect wildlife habitat? The answer is still unclear.
Greig Bethel, a Spokesperson with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, said it鈥檚 too early to speculate on outcomes of the strategy.
The province has hired Al Gorley, past President of the Association of B.C. Forest Professionals, to lead the new strategy. Gorley鈥檚 first step will be to consult key with wildlife stakeholders, First Nations and other interested parties to identify the issues and clarify the objectives for moving forward.
Dave Fyfe, former President of the Wildlife Stewardship Council (WSC), said the simple fact that the province plans to consult with First Nations and other interested parties to find solutions is a big change. The WSC - a provincial organization whose membership includes First Nations, guide outfitters and associate members - has been calling for the formation of a provincial wildlife roundtable for a number of years.
Fyfe was very insightful on the subject of wildlife management and certainly helped me see the bigger picture. Basically what he said was that the decline in moose populations is simply reflecting the way we鈥檝e been damaging wildlife habitat.
鈥淭he status quo is not working,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat we have been doing hasn鈥檛 been working.鈥�
Fyfe said industrial activity with little oversight or accountability has led to severe habitat degradation. He also explained that when the wildlife habitat is intact, predators are not a major threat to wildlife populations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 much easier for predators to move around the land when we open the land up,鈥� he said. 鈥淧redators play an important role, but when you have predator imbalances, it leads to complete collapses.鈥�
Another way we鈥檝e been affecting the environment is by fire suppression.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 allow fires to burn in most cases because there鈥檚 a value to the timber,鈥� Fyfe explained. 鈥淥n the habitat side, fires are essential to help the ecosystem.鈥�
When there鈥檚 poor habitat, an imbalance of predators, guided hunters and First Nations hunting for sustenance, it is only logical that moose populations would significantly decline.
No strategy will work unless the province takes a broader approach, ensuring that wildlife habitat is protected. This would include taking a closer look at logging practices across the province.
