Group worries Parks Canada plan doesn’t aid at-risk species

Visitor experience trumping ecological integrity, advocates say

It’s already tough to spot a common nighthawk or an olive-sided flycatcher in Jasper National Park, and a new plan for protecting the species’ habitats doesn’t go far enough, according to a regional advocacy organization.

Parks Canada’s draft, Multi-species Action Plan for Jasper, lays out new protection measures for four of the park’s at-risk plants and animals and reiterates existing plans for others.

The plan relies on “incidental observations” to monitor flycatcher and nighthawk population numbers, leaving it up to visitors to tell staff where they see the already threatened animals.

Given the species are at risk, expecting to get accurate numbers that way isn’t a very robust strategy, said Kecia Kerr, executive director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s northern Alberta chapter.

“We would like to see systematic monitoring where they’re trying to find the species in their habitat and keeping track of the populations,” said Kerr.

“I don’t see it really as a monitoring plan, per se. Just record when you see them, as far as I can tell from this report.”

There are commendable aspects to the plan, said Kerr. It suggests actively planting whitebark pines genetically resistant to blister rust infection, a fungal disease that, alongside mountain pine beetle outbreaks, has threatened the trees in Western Canada.

“You can see that they would like to be doing more systematic surveys, but they just don’t have the funding for it,” said Kerr.

Parks Canada public relations officer Steve Young wrote in a statement that any input received during the public consultation period, which lasts until July 28, will be considered before the final plan is released.

“This plan was developed in co-operation with a number of partners, jurisdictions and stakeholders, and Parks Canada is committed to collaborating with them to implement recovery measures,” reads the statement.

Kerr feels the plan reflects a change in Parks Canada’s resource allocation from maintaining ecological integrity to satisfying a growing number of visitors, shown by a loss of conservation staff and a growth in visitor experience staff.

“I think it’s gone a little bit too far towards a recreation side of things,” said Kerr, pointing to 2012 cuts to Parks Canada’s budget.

“We want to be encouraging people to be recreating in our parks and love them. We just have to make sure that we’re not loving them to death.”