Protecting wildlife can sustain our future, too
It rarely pays to put short-term interests ahead of long-term goals
By Misty MacDuffee, Chris Darimont and Chris Genovali, Times Colonist April 20, 2012
As Earth Day approaches, our thoughts turn to two of the most iconic species in British Columbia, wild salmon and grizzly bears, as well as their intertwined relationship and how the choices we make are inextricably linked to their fates.
Despite the knowledge that many species depend on salmon, humans have never managed fisheries with wildlife in mind. A salmon can enter a fishing net or the mouth of a grizzly bear, but can we manage for the interests of both?
In an article published in the scientific journal PLoS Biology, researchers from the Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the University of California Santa Cruz suggest that allowing more salmon to spawn in coastal streams can often benefit grizzly bears, other ecosystem recipients and salmon fisheries in the long term – a scenario that serves ecosystems and humans.
To read the full article please visit the Victoria Times Colonist website.
You can help
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.
We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.
