Around the world, the future of many of earth’s most precious animals is starting to look grim.

Last year, a damning report from the World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London suggested that two thirds of the planet’s wildlife could be wiped out by 2020 as human activities overwhelm the earth.

Canada alone has more than 520 plants and animals registered under the federal Species At Risk Act, including the polar bear, sea otter, and whooping crane. The list is continually growing. Of these species — whose future is uncertain in the context of climate change, hunting, pollution, and habitat destruction — roughly 15 per cent of them reside in British Columbia.

The province boasts the highest wildlife diversity in Canada, but according to the environmental law charity Ecojustice, more than 43 per cent of its assessed species are at risk. Loss and fragmentation of habitat is widely accepted as the primary contributor to dwindling populations.

As the clock ticks closer to the provincial election, National Observer has compiled a list of party promises that will help protect these remarkable animals and their habitat. It is not intended as an exhaustive list, but as a sample from each of their portfolios.

The full platforms are available here:

• The BC Liberals
• The BC NDP
• The BC Greens

The BC Liberals did not respond to requests for comment on this story. The provincial election is on May 9.

British Columbia is one of two provinces in Canada that doesn’t have stand-alone legislation to protect species at risk (the other is Alberta). As it stands, wildlife is governed by the Wildlife Act, the Forest and Range Practices Act, the Oil and Gas Activities Act, the Ecological Reserves Act, the Park Act, and the Land Act.

Under Premier Christy Clark, the B.C. government developed a five-year plan for species at risk that ends in 2017. This plan has contributed to the development of recovery strategies for many endangered species, and helped track changes in the status of B.C.'s native vertebrates. Critics however, have called it a largely discretionary “patchwork” job that lacks teeth as it promotes ‘voluntary stewardship,’ and investigates policy options rather than implementing any.

Gwen Barlee, policy director for the Wilderness Committee, says adopting comprehensive species at risk legislation is "absolutely, critically important" as many of the province's endangered species enter cycles of extinction.

“If there was ever a time to move swiftly, responsibly and robustly towards implementing comprehensive and robust endangered species legislation, this is it," she said in an interview. "Because the double whammy of habitat lost combined with the massive threat of climate change means our wildlife — and particularly our species at risk — need all the help they can get. They can’t defend themselves against chainsaws or climate change. We need to step in."

Photo Credit: Canadian Press - Read the full article here