Declining Grasslands and Species at Risk

On the Environmental Law Centre blog, Laura Bowman posts on the decline on native grasslands in Canada, and the threats posed to the species at risk in Alberta that rely on grassland habitats. Bowman identifies deficiencies in the recently posted Recovery Strategy for the Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii) in Canada:

Although most of the grasslands on which this bird depends are outside federal lands, only federal lands are identified as critical habitat in the recovery strategy.

Bowman concludes that:

Alberta urgently needs to make a clear commitment to protection of remaining native grasslands to prevent extirpation of grassland species.  Instead, the Alberta Government continues to dispose of native grasslands for other uses.

In addition to Sprague's Pipit, there are a number of other current Alberta-related Species at Risk consultations: