Catastrophic decline of bats and amphibians in Ontario in less than a decade

Ontario environmental commissioner Dianne Saxe cites a “large-scale loss of biodiversity,” calling it a “crisis in our province and around the world” — a situation she called a “terrible tragedy.” Ontario’s environmental watchdog has warned the government that it needs to do more to conserve the province’s biodiversity. Saxe says the Liberals need to take action to: combat wildlife declines, control invasive species, better monitor biodiversity, and implement better forest fire management, by letting more fires burn to enhance wildlife habitat.

In her first annual Environmental Protection Report, Small Steps Forward, released Wednesday, Saxe said “the government often talks the talk when it comes to conserving Ontario’s biodiversity, but that’s not enough - they need to walk the walk. ”The large-scale loss of biodiversity is a crisis in our province and around the world, the report says, highlighting three examples of current wildlife declines including: that the populations of eight of our 27 amphibian species are at risk of being lost; and populations of four of eight bat species are in steep decline and are now endangered as the result of white nose syndrome, an aggressive fungal disease. “In 10 years we’ve had a catastrophic decline,” Saxe said. MPP Peter Tabuns, the NDP’s environment critic, said “it’s apparent that the government isn’t doing what needs to be done to protect biodiversity.”
Sources:
The Star, 26 October 2016
https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/10/26/ontarios-moose-popul…
The Chronicle Journal, 29 October 2016
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/news/gov-t-warned-to-preserve-biodivers…