BC Species at Risk PLUS Pipeline to the West Coast Conversation

Dr. Sarah (Sally) Otto, Dr. Peter Thompson, and CPAWS-BC Campaigner Brynna Kagawa-Visentin talk about a recent report that looks at the changing status of imperiled species in British Columbia over the last 15 years — in the absence of a dedicated provincial species at risk act (or law) — and reveals that species at risk in BC have risen, with most changes in status not reflecting genuine recovery: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.30.679339v1

Please note for context that this is a non-peer-reviewed preprint and the manuscript is currently under consideration for publication at a peer-reviewed journal. 

We also discuss the recent announcement by the Alberta Government of their plans to pitch a new oil pipeline to the West Coast following the AB Government's failure to find a private sector backer - stay tuned to the end! Read Sierra Club Canada's full release on that subject, and the economic futility of a new pipeline, here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/alberta-pipeline-major-projects/

Other Resources / Points Regarding Species at Risk:

• Former report on BC Biodiversity: https://www.sfu.ca/~amooers/scientists4species/Protecting_Biodiversity_in_BC.pdf
• Associated paper:
   https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2018-0042
• A recent legal report card on provincial species-at-risk protection (backgrounder on the legal gaps): https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2023-0229
• A WWF-Canada report Brynna mentioned regarding grassland birds:
• https://wwf.ca/media-releases/the-starkest-picture-of-wildlife-loss-in-canada-to-date-wwfs-new-living-planet-report-canada/
• Dr. Otto points out the huge contribution of tourism to the economy of BC ($9.7 billion of GDP annually), higher than forestry ($1.7B), as well as mining or oil and gas. The importance of a thriving tourist industry, as well as a thriving forestry sector that is sustained by a much smaller land base but focuses on high-end wood products (cabinetry, furniture, heavy duty wood, etc.), would strengthen jobs while moving away from a deforested BC: https://www.destinationbc.ca/news/opinion-british-columbias-tourism-industry-is-an-economic-powerhouse/

Other Resources on Pipelines, Oil, and LNG:

• Canada can and must instead start a rapid transition to a fully renewable economy: https://www.sierraclub.ca/canada-can-go-100-renewable/
• And here's a link to sources regarding the health impacts of LNG: https://www.sierraclub.ca/lng-national-interest-canada/

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