Onatrio Confronting Mass Extinctions, Minimal Protection - Star

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Polar bears, barn owls, monarch butterflies and other endangered animals and plants and are in an alarming state of decline in Ontario, yet outdated provincial legislation is doing little to reverse the trend, according to an environmental study released today. In fact, the analysis indicates more than three-quarters of species identified as endangered receive no legal protection in the province, while the law barely protects even those that it expressly acknowledges need help.

The report, by a new coalition of environmental groups, calls it a “crisis of extinction.” “What we’re looking at is a future without butterflies,” said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence Canada and a coalition member. “We’re consigning the wildlife experiences of our children to feeding grey squirrels and pigeons in the park.”

For at-risk species for which trends are known, 76 per cent are either already gone from Ontario or are on their way to disappearing, the analysis concludes. Critics said the “unprecedented decline” is the result of habitat loss, pollution and climate change.

Among endangered species listed federally but unprotected because Ontario doesn’t recognize them are the colourful eastern prairie fringed orchid and the American chestnut.

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