Report: British Columbia’s neglected carnivores

BC provides an important opportunity for cougar conservation. At present, however, sufficient ecological information is lacking, which constrains the certainty with which a comprehensive conservation strategy for cougars can be created and implemented. In anticipation of the first provincial conservation plan for cougars, however, British Columbians have a promising opportunity to contribute to cougar conservation and welfare. Raincoast’s vision for cougar-human coexistence in BC is informed by the best available scientific information, an acknowledgement of the uncertainty in information on cougars, and widely-held societal norms
about how wildlife should be treated. We believe that most of the public shares similar values regarding safety for human and domestic animals; sustainable livelihoods for BC families and communities; biodiversity conservation; and conservation-based food hunting and logging. We also believe that most British Columbians, including most that participate in food hunting, are concerned about trophy hunting of large carnivores and habitat protection for predators and prey.

Citation

Wainwright, C.J., C.T. Darimont, and P.C. Paquet. 2010. British Columbia’s Neglected Carnivore: a Conservation Assessment and Conservation Planning Guide for Cougars. Version 01. Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sidney, BC.

Corinna J. Wainwright

Corinna is a Conservation Scientist for the Raincoast Conservation Foundation’s Coastal Cougar Initiative and currently operates a consulting business called Catseye Conservation. She studied Conservation Biology and Philosophy at the University of British Columbia and, for over a decade, she has conducted a diversity of scientific research throughout Canada, including projects on grizzly bears and marine birds. As a grizzly bear viewing guide and marine mammal naturalist, Corinna has also worked to inspire people to understand, value, and protect individual animals and biodiversity in British Columbia.

Chris T. Darimont

As Science Director for the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California (Santa Cruz), Chris loves to share his passion for practicing wildlife science at conservation and animal welfare frontiers. His research focuses on sensitive carnivores, which can endure some of the most severe suffering among wild animals due to direct (i.e. persecution) and indirect (i.e. food competition) human effects. For this work and his extensive scientific publication record, Chris has been honoured with many scholarly and conservation awards including NSERC graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, a Compassion in Science Award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a Christine Stevens Wildlife Award from the Animal Welfare Institute, and an Earth Day Canada Finalist Award. Determined to have his contributions transcend pure academia, Chris commits to ‘informed advocacy’ in which he serves as an outspoken vocal advocate for animals.

Paul C. Paquet

Paul is an internationally recognized authority on mammalian carnivores, especially wolves, with research experience in several regions of the world. He worked as a biologist for the Canadian Wildlife Service for many years. Now, he is Senior Scientist with the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, an international consultant, and lecturer. Paul is a long-time fellow of World Wildlife Fund Canada. He was one of the architects of the World Wide Fund for Nature and European Union’s Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe. He is an Adjunct Professor in Environmental Design at the University of Calgary, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of Manitoba, and an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Biology at the University of New Brunswick, where he supervises graduate student research. He is a member of several government, industry, and NGO advisory committees concerned with the conservation of biodiversity. Dr. Paquet has written more than 100 scientific articles and reports and published several books on the behaviour, ecology, and management of wolves. His current research focuses on conservation of large carnivores and effects of human activities on their survival.

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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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