The Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) of British Columbia’s Coastal Rainforests
Findings from year 2000 pilot study.
Herein, we present the most comprehensive scientific report to date about the wolves of mainland coastal British Columbia. The report is intended for scientists and informed non-scientists alike, although most readers will have no difficulty understanding the content. We offer scientific information, our perspectives, and recommendations to First Nations, government, industry, conservation planners, and the global public. We hope these efforts will inform the decision-making processes that determine the future for wolves, deer, and all life along the central coast of British Columbia.
To formulate recommendations about a never-before-studied, low-density, and elusive animal that roams a remote area requires large investments of time and money. Consequently, this season marked the first and largely descriptive stage in a multi-year research project. Although we have invested considerable resources assembling information, carrying out literature reviews, and conducting fieldwork, our investigation to date is not long-term, comprehensive, or always scientifically rigorous. Accordingly, Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan, a member of the scientific panel that reviewed this report, cautioned that a lack of empirical knowledge compromises the certainty in which we can express our recommendations. We agree. We note, however, that even greater uncertainty faces the forest industry and the provincial government, which are proceeding with large-scale clearcut logging.
Although a paucity of information compels us to speculate on many biological issues, we do so using the best available information about coastal wolf-deer systems. Where necessary and appropriate we infer from published studies conducted elsewhere, our own experiences, and the experience of other researchers. Throughout the report, we are careful to distinguish fact from inference, speculation, and professional opinion.
Our concluding recommendations reflect our current knowledge and the fundamental principles of Conservation Biology. We adhere to the “precautionary principle” which recognizes the inherent uncertainty in managing natural systems and stresses the sound judgment in erring on the side of caution. In either business (Slywotsky 2000) or the ecological environment (Kareiva et al. 1999) and in the face of high uncertainty and poor information, the “precautionary principle” or “precautionary conservation” is required. The history of resource management shows that ignoring uncertainty results in failure to take needed conservation actions.
Suggested citation
Darimont, C.T., and P.C. Paquet. 2000. The Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) of British Columbia’s Coastal Rainforests: Findings from Year 2000 Pilot Study and Conservation Assessment. Prepared for the Raincoast Conservation Society. Victoria, BC. 62 pp. (PDF)
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Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.
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