Energy development vs. endangered species: winner takes all | The Narwhal
The strongest legislation to protect species at risk in Canada is generally considered to be the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). But describing SARA as “strong” is misleading.
Studies show that species are less likely
to be listed as threatened or endangered under SARA if they are the
target of a commercial harvest. The most obvious example may be the
demise of the Atlantic cod,
a marine fish once abundant off the coast of Newfoundland. It has still
not been listed under SARA despite having lost 99 per cent of its
population since the 1960s due to overfishing.
And only rarely does the habitat necessary to the survival or recovery of a species at risk, called critical habitat protection, get legally protected under SARA.