Environmental Trends 2007

Species Conservation

Status of Selected Wildlife in British Columbia

Mountain Caribou

  • Photo credit: Doug Jury
    The mountain caribou in B.C. represent almost the entire global population of the species. Herds in almost half of their remaining range are facing a high risk of extinction within the next 20 years. They are threatened by habitat loss, disturbance from human activities, predators, and climate change.

  • In October 2007, the province announced the Mountain Caribou Recovery Implementation Plan aimed at restoring the mountain caribou population to pre-1995 levels.

Killer Whales

Northern resident killer whales continue to increase, while southern resident numbers remain stable.

Sources: Center for Whale Research, Friday Harbor, Washington, USA, (southern population) Cetacean Research Program-DFO, Nanaimo, B.C. (northern population).

  • All killer whale populations along the B.C. coast are considered to be ‘at risk’, according to both federal and provincial criteria. A species recovery strategy has been drafted for both northern and southern resident populations.

  • The current population of southern resident whales is estimated to be lower than it was before the late 1960s and early 1970s, when many whales were captured for aquariums.

Salmon and Steelhead

  • Photo credit: B.C. Parks
    In 2006, the outlook for about half of the 88 managed salmon stocks with published assessments was rated as ‘stable’ or ‘improving’. About a quarter of the managed stocks were rated as ‘sensitive’ and ‘below target abundance’. Eighteen stocks were rated in the category of ‘greatest conservation concern’.

  • In 2005, the status of steelhead in 27 of 30 Fraser River watersheds was rated as of ‘extreme conservation concern’.

For detailed information, including graph data, see In-Depth Report [pdf].

Next: Threats to species at risk in B.C. >>