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The Okanagan is one of five areas of Canada most in need of protection, new research by the World Wildlife Fund has shown.
As a “species hotspot” packed full of unique wildlife like the pallid bat and the desert nightsnake, the area is of special importance to the country.
The report – titled “Wildlife Protection Assessment: A National Habitat Crisis” and released on Earth Day – partly blames the growing human population, agricultural development and road and housing infrastructure.
Also partly responsible is earlier human settlement, which resulted in the extirpation of various species.
“The mix of grasslands, forest, desert-like areas and rich riparian ecosystems provides highly diverse habitats that host many of the province’s at-risk species,” the report states.
The area is also highlighted as a “potential climate refuge’ thanks to its forest biomass.
The four other areas highlighted alongside the Okanagan are Yukon and the Northwest Territories, the Prairie grasslands, Southern Ontario and Quebec and the Saint John River watershed.
WWF also warns in the report that 84% of habitats with high concentrations of at-risk species are inadequately or entirely unprotected.
“This research gives us a whole new way of thinking about protected areas and other conservation measures to address the twin problems of wildlife loss and climate change at the same time,” Megan Leslie, president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada, said.
“Canada is actively working toward the international target of 17 per cent protection for terrestrial space and inland waters. Now with this new research, governments at all levels will also be able to prioritize those areas that do double-duty for wildlife and climate.”
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