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Agriculture a notable threat to species at risk


Okanagan wildlife is among the most threatened in BC


by JACKIE PEARASE


VERNON – BC growers are being asked to consider local ecosystems and species at risk in their farming practices and planning. Okanagan Similkameen


Conservation Alliance ecostudies coordinator Tanya Brouwers says 90% of wetlands and 73% of riparian areas have been lost in the Okanagan since the 1800s; grasslands are also disappearing from the Okanagan and the Garry oak ecosystem is becoming a memory in the Lower Mainland. Native plant and animal species are negatively impacted by this loss of diversity, she adds.


BC has 231 species listed under the federal Species at Risk Act, and the BC Conservation Data Centre had identified 816 species or subspecies as endangered or threatened as of January 2018 – the most of any Canadian province. The Okanagan has the most endangered and threatened species of any


region in BC. Bird species are declining 17% globally, even in Canada where it is illegal to disturb or destroy a nesting migratory bird or its eggs. “In Canada, especially in BC, I think it’s something like a 2.8% decline per year for the past 10 years on all grassland nesting birds. Birds are actually seriously declining,” says Brouwers. Urban and rural


development has caused the most habitat and ecosystem destruction but she notes that agriculture ranks second. Practices like tilling and haying during peak nesting season – June in the Okanagan – causes extreme mortality rates in nesting birds. Farming without a good nutrient management plan can result in degradation of surface and ground water. “That’s a serious problem in BC, especially the Lower Mainland and Okanagan, because lots of species are extremely sensitive to changes in water chemistry,” notes Browuers. “It’s all related.”


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • APRIL 2019


The South Okanagan is home to 30% of BC’s red-listed wildlife species. Included on the list is the Swainson’s Hawk, whose winter range is threatened as well. FILE PHOTO


Brouwers says producers can do small things to reduce their impact on the environment with huge benefits. Speaking at the annual


conference of the Certified Organic Associations of BC in Vernon, she said a healthy, biodiverse farm can provide not just food but clean air and water, healthy forests and farms, wildlife habitat, recreation, and drought and flood protection. “If you took those away, the cost of that would be $3 billion to replace it in some mechanized form,” says Brouwers. “That’s just the


Okanagan.” Making positive changes


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for wildlife is relatively simple: keeping vineyard netting tight and off the ground, and walking over a field prior to mowing reduces bird and snake mortality. Placing long boards between fruit trees provides a hiding place for rodent-hunting snakes. Haying at a slower speed and cultivating from the inside out gives nesting birds an opportunity to escape. Using wildlife-friendly fencing allows animals to pass under and over the barrier. Rotational grazing provides different heights of vegetation for different wild species. Removing invasive weeds can enhance biodiversity and local ecosystems. Knowing which local species are at risk and restoring natural wetlands where possible can also make a difference. Brouwers encourages


producers to get help and information; the province’s BC Species & Ecosystem Explorer is a great resource (visit [http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/es wp/]), and stewardship groups can also provide support. Undertaking an environmental farm plan,


planting native plant species, and participating in the wetland education program for wetland restoration from the BC Wildlife Federation are other options. “[BCWF], if you qualify, will come to your farm; they’ll restore it, they’ll dig it out, they’ll do everything,” says Brouwers. “It becomes a bit of an education thing for a whole group of people. It’s a real great experience.” The federal Species at Risk


Partnership on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) is another good resource. The program is currently seeking horticultural partners to demonstrate beneficial practices. With no binding legislation


to protect species at risk – all provincial and federal regulations are complaint- driven – Brouwers says the best thing anyone can do is to be educated and embrace the importance of biodiversity. “The species at risk in our


area are kind of like canaries in the coal mine,” she says. “What is affecting them is eventually going to affect us. It’s our obligation to sort of look after it and try to enhance property, but mostly be aware of what they are.”


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