Wildlife Sector Overview

• Author: Elaine L. Hughes, Arlene J. Kwasniak, Alastair R. Lucas
• Pages: 293-312

293

CHAPTER 14

WILDLIFE

SECTOR

OVERVIEW

Laura D Kumpf* and Elaine L Hughes

A. ABOUT WILDLIFE

With 20 percent of the world’s wilderness located in Canada, wildlife

management is required to ensure sustainable use of resources and

prevent wildlife from becoming endangered.1 For example, in Canada,

overhunting of bison nearly eradicated the species. The wood bison

dropped from an estimated population of 168,000 in 1800 to only 250

in 1893.2 In response, the government established protected areas and

imposed restrictions on hunting.3 While the plains bison herds have

rebounded, the wood bison remain at risk.4

Wildlife is har vested through hunting and trapping for commercial

purposes, pest and population control, and recreation. In 2010, Statis-

tics Canada deter mined that f‌ishing, hunting, and trapping contr ibuted

just over $1 billion in chained dollars to Canada’s GDP.5 Environment

* Laura Kumpf ( JD, Alberta) is a corporate law yer and associate in t he Edmonton

off‌ice of Miller Thomson L LP. She was a researc h assistant for this s ection during

her time as a law st udent at the University of Alber ta Faculty of Law.

1 Kate Smallwoo d, “A Guide to Canada’s Species at Risk Act ” (Vancouver: Sierra

Legal Defence Fund, 2003), online: www.sfu.ca/~amooers/scientists4species/

SARA_Guide_May2003.pdf.

2 Environment a nd Natural Resources. “NW T Wood Bison,” online: Government

of Northwest Terr itories www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca/species/wood-bison.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.

5 Statistics C anada, “Gross Domestic Produc t at Basic Prices: Prim ary Industries,”

Table 379-0027, online: www.statcan.gc.ca /tables-tableaux /sum-som/l01/cst01/

prim03-eng.htm.

PUBLIC LANDS AND RESOURCES LAW IN CA NADA294

Canada states, “During any given year, an estimated six million Can-

adians participate in recreational hunting, f‌ishing, and trapping.”6 Can-

ada’s top game animals include black bear, caribou, cougar, deer, elk,

grizzly bear, and moose.7 The fur trade is one of Canada’s oldest in-

dustries, and according to the Canadian Federation of Humane Soci-

eties, “Every year over one million animals are trapped in Canada for

their fur”8 by approximately 60,000 trappers.9 The fur trade contrib-

utes more than $800 million annually to the Canadian economy, and

42 percent of the $1.6 million received by provinces and territories in

royalties and licence fees are allocated to conservation programs.10

John Donihee describes three eras of wildlife management: game

management (Confederation to 1960s), transitional wildl ife management

(1960s to mid-1980s), and sustainable wildlife management.11 The aim

of game management was to control populations to protect game ani-

mals as a resource, and was focused on hunting and predatory, and

market hunting controls, with limited focus on habitat protection.12

Transitional wildlife management extended beyond game animals and

included habitat protection, artif‌icial replenishment of wildlife, and

more comprehensive hunting controls and a greater reliance on regula-

tions.13 Sustainable wildlife management has an ecological focus, with

protection of the environment, species and their habitat, and biodivers-

ity, as well as stronger trade controls and laws inf‌luenced by inter-

national commitments and the recognition of Aboriginal and treaty

rights.14

While some provincial and territorial statutes are more traditional,

many are incorporating new management techniques, such as land-

based wildlife management. Nunavut’s Wildlife Act15 incorporates the

6 Environment Canad a, Planning for a Sustainable Future (Gatineau, QC: Environ-

ment Canada: 2010) at 25, online: ww w.ec.gc.ca/dd-sd /F93CD795-0035-4DAF-

86D1-53099BD303F9/FSDS_v4_EN.pdf.

7 Canada Wi lderness, “Canadia n Big Game Animals,” online: Ca nada Wilderness

http://canadawilderness.com/canadian-big-game-animals.

8 Canadian Federation of Hum ane Societies (CFHS), “Fur,” online: http://cf hs.ca/

wi l d / f u r/.

9 Canadian Federat ion of Humane Societies (CFHS), “What Is Trapping?,” online:

http://cfhs.ca/wild/what_is_trapping.

10Ibid.

11John Donihe e, The Evolution of Wildlife Law in Canada, Occa sional Paper #9

(Calgary: Can adian Institute of Resou rces Law, 2000) at vii.

12Ibid at 14.

13 Ibid at 15.

14Ibid a t 17.

15SNu 2003, c 26.