Conservation, Hope and Right Relationships - Chapter 14

Rachel Carson and the birth of modern environmentalism

• The science: WHAT sprayed aerially across the US with little understanding of ecological or human health impacts.

• Carson traced the mechanism: chemical persistence + fat storage =
  biomagnification = WHAT in birds of prey

Rachel Carson and the birth of modern environmentalism

• The science: DDT sprayed aerially across the US with little understanding of ecological or human health impacts.

• Carson traced the mechanism: chemical persistence + fat storage =
  biomagnification = EGGSHELL THINNING in birds of prey

Rachel Carson and the birth of modern environmentalism

• The response: Chemical industry mounted a massive lobbying campaign calling her ‘hysterical’ and unscientific.

• The moment: She testified before the U.S. Senate while dying of breast cancer (1963).

• The shift: the public began to notice and care about human impacts on the WHAT.

• The result: DDT banned (Canada 1969; US 1972) Eggshell thinning reversed within a generation. Bald eagle nesting pairs: 417 in 1963 to 9,700 today (lower 48) Peregrine falcon nesting pairs: 39 in 1970 to 3,000+ today (eastern US

Rachel Carson and the birth of modern environmentalism

• The response: Chemical industry mounted a massive lobbying campaign calling her ‘hysterical’ and unscientific.

• The moment: She testified before the U.S. Senate while dying of breast cancer (1963).

• The shift: the public began to notice and care about human impacts on the ENVIRONMENT.

• The result: DDT banned (Canada 1969; US 1972) Eggshell thinning reversed within a generation. Bald eagle nesting pairs: 417 in 1963 to 9,700 today (lower 48) Peregrine falcon nesting pairs: 39 in 1970 to 3,000+ today (eastern US

What had actually changed

• WHAT

• WHAT

• WHAT

• WHAT

What had actually changed

• The recoveries: DDT ban (1972) → bald eagle, peregrine falcon, brown
  pelican all rebounded. Proof of concept: identify the mechanism, remove it

• The science: Conservation biology emerged as a formal scientific
  discipline. IUCN Red List. Species monitoring. We started measuring what we were losing

• The awareness: Environmental problems became undeniable. Public concern turned to political pressure. Governments were pushed to act, regulate and be accountable

• The laws: A legal framework for protecting what remains emerged. The start of environmental law, regulations, monitoring and enforcement systems

Conservation looks different across systems, but recovering always depends on WHAT, WHAT and WHAT the drivers of decline. It is work that is often triggered and sustained by laws

Conservation looks different across systems, but recovering always depends on IDENTIFYING, REGULATING and MANAGING the drivers of decline. It is work that is often triggered and sustained by laws

Tragedy of the commons

When a shared resource is overused because no one is (feels) RESPONSIBLE for protecting it. Without rules or coordination, shared resources easily become overexploited

Why conservation falls short

• Slow response times: Species decline faster than laws can act. Listing, assessment, and protection are often delayed

• Implementation Gaps: Laws exist on paper, but are weakly WHAT. Limited funding, monitoring, and capacity make enforcement difficult.

• Political and Economic Pressure: Decisions influenced by WHAT, jobs, and short-term gains. Protections can be delayed, weakened, or reversed.

• Reactive not proactive: Laws often respond after damage is already severe, and focus on crisis WHAT instead of WHAT.

• Treating symptoms not causes: Protecting a species while destroying its habitat elsewhere. Often a way of continuing destruction with a green label.

• Ignoring Indigenous stewardship: Laws built without Indigenous governance lose 10,000+ years of place-based ecological knowledge

Why conservation falls short

• Slow response times: Species decline faster than laws can act. Listing, assessment, and protection are often delayed

• Implementation Gaps: Laws exist on paper, but are weakly ENFORCED. Limited funding, monitoring, and capacity make enforcement difficult.

• Political and Economic Pressure: Decisions influenced by INDUSTRY, jobs, and short-term gains. Protections can be delayed, weakened, or reversed.

• Reactive not proactive: Laws often respond after damage is already severe, and focus on crisis MITIGATION instead of PREVENTION.

• Treating symptoms not causes: Protecting a species while destroying its habitat elsewhere. Often a way of continuing destruction with a green label.

• Ignoring Indigenous stewardship: Laws built without Indigenous governance lose 10,000+ years of place-based ecological knowledge

Example of when conservation falls short: Boreal caribou

BOREAL CARIBOU (RANGIFER TARANDUS)

• Listed as Threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act since 2003.

• Two decades of legal protection and yet: most boreal caribou populations continue to decline.
  

Why the law keeps failing:

• WHAT degradation: The recovery strategy requires <35% disturbed habitat in each range. Most ranges are at 50–80% disturbance from logging and oil sands development.

• Industrial exemptions: Provinces issue exemptions under their own land-use plans, effectively overriding WHAT (Alberta!)

• Treating symptoms: Annual wolf culls are funded to offset caribou declines killing 1,500+ wolves per year without addressing the WHAT

Example of when conservation falls short: Boreal caribou

BOREAL CARIBOU (RANGIFER TARANDUS)

• Listed as Threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act since 2003.

• Two decades of legal protection and yet: most boreal caribou populations continue to decline.
  

Why the law keeps failing:

• HABITAT degradation: The recovery strategy requires <35% disturbed habitat in each range. Most ranges are at 50–80% disturbance from logging and oil sands development.

• Industrial exemptions: Provinces issue exemptions under their own land-use plans, effectively overriding FEDERAL RECOVERY TARGETS (Alberta!)

• Treating symptoms: Annual wolf culls are funded to offset caribou declines killing 1,500+ wolves per year without addressing the ROOT CAUSE

Species can be listed and protected on paper while industrial development continues unabated. Law without WHAT, adequate WHAT, and genuine WHAT protection is not conservation

Species can be listed and protected on paper while industrial development continues unabated. Law without ENFORCEMENT, adequate FUNDING, and genuine HABITAT protection is not conservation

Quantity vs Quality Gap

• Targets focus on area protected, but not all areas are equally important for biodiversity. Some parks are low risk, low value

• Response: Prioritizing biodiversity WHAT and high value WHAT (KBAs = Key Biodiversity Areas)

Quantity vs Quality Gap

• Targets focus on area protected, but not all areas are equally important for biodiversity. Some parks are low risk, low value

• Response: Prioritizing biodiversity HOTSPOTS and high value ECOSYSTEMS (KBAs = Key Biodiversity Areas)

Ongoing Human Expansion

• Urbanization, agriculture, and resource extraction continue to grow and outpace protection efforts

• Response: recognizing WHAT (farms, cities) as part of conservation (pollinator corridors, urban green infrastructure, agri-environment programs)

Ongoing Human Expansion

• Urbanization, agriculture, and resource extraction continue to grow and outpace protection efforts

• Response: recognizing WORKING LANDSCAPES (farms, cities) as part of conservation (pollinator corridors, urban green infrastructure, agri-environment programs)

Connectivity is key

• Protected areas can be isolated islands, species need to move across landscapes

• Response: Emphasis on WHAT and WHAT (Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, wildlife crossings)

Connectivity is key

• Protected areas can be isolated islands, species need to move across landscapes

• Response: Emphasis on CONNECTIVITY and CORRIDORS (Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, wildlife crossings)

Global vs Local Reality

• Globally increasing protected area coverage has not curbed biodiversity decline

• Response: shift toward WHAT, WHAT-scale conservation

Global vs Local Reality

• Globally increasing protected area coverage has not curbed biodiversity decline

• Response: shift toward INTERGRATED, LANDSCAPE-scale conservation

The science behind 30%:

• Protecting the most biodiverse 30% could prevent ~60% of projected species extinctions. 30% is a WHAT to slow biodiversity loss, emphasis on representation, connectivity, and functionality not just area

The science behind 30%:

• Protecting the most biodiverse 30% could prevent ~60% of projected species extinctions. 30% is a MINIMUM THRESHOLD to slow biodiversity loss, emphasis on representation, connectivity, and functionality not just area

The Global Agreement: At COP15 (2022),

• WHAT nations signed the Kunming Montreal Agreement, the most ambitious global biodiversity deal in history, committing to protect WHAT% of land and ocean by 2030.

The Global Agreement: At COP15 (2022),

• 196 nations signed the Kunming Montreal Agreement, the most ambitious global biodiversity deal in history, committing to protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030.

Canada’s progress:

• Canada has expanded protected areas from 10.6% (2015) to ~WHAT% of land and ocean. Recent additions include Thaidene Nëne NP Reserve (26,376 km², NWT) and large Alberta conservation commitments.
  

Canada’s progress:

• Canada has expanded protected areas from 10.6% (2015) to ~14% of land and ocean. Recent additions include Thaidene Nëne NP Reserve (26,376 km², NWT) and large Alberta conservation commitments.

Alberta’s role and challenges:

• ~15% protected. Bighorn Wildland (775,000 ha, 2020) and other designations contribute. But oil sands boreal leases, ongoing forestry, and absence of a provincial land-use plan remain major barriers to meaningful WHAT

Alberta’s role and challenges:

• ~15% protected. Bighorn Wildland (775,000 ha, 2020) and other designations contribute. But oil sands boreal leases, ongoing forestry, and absence of a provincial land-use plan remain major barriers to meaningful PROTECTION

80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found in WHAT (IPBES 2019) Not coincidental; a direct result of traditional stewardship

80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity is found in INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES (IPBES 2019) Not coincidental; a direct result of traditional stewardship

IPCAs: Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, Canada’s primary pathway to 30x30; often protect the most intact, WHAT, WHAT ecosystems on Earth because they already have been

IPCAs: Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, Canada’s primary pathway to 30x30; often protect the most intact, BIODIVERSE, CARBON-RICH ecosystems on Earth because they already have been

1. Remove or reduce the primary threat

The most powerful single action is correctly identifying and eliminating the ROOT CAUSE. The DDT ban was more effective than any direct eagle intervention

2. Strong laws are essential but not sufficient

Strong law backed by enforcement and funding is essential. Voluntary targets RARELY work at scale. Outcomes depend on IMPLEMENTATION, ENFORCEMENT, and POLITICAL will

3. Habitat is the foundation

Protecting species alone isn’t enough. Without habitat and their entire ecosystem, protection will fail. And, connection and function are more important than area

4. People must be involved

Communities that BENEFIT from conservation become its STRONGEST advocates. Communities EXCLUDED become its most committed OPPONENTS

5. It takes time

Most recoveries take decades. Patience and dedication are also fundamental to conservation success