Canadian Wildlife Service

The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS (French: Service canadien de la faune, SCF) is a branch of the Department of the Environment, also known as Environment Canada, a department of the Government of Canada.

CWS holds responsibility for the protection and management of migratory birds and nationally important wildlife habitats, species at risk, research on nationally important wildlife issues, control of international trade in endangered species, and international wildlife related treaties for Canada. Wildlife management in Canada is a responsibility which is shared by the federal and the provincial / territorial governments, however CWS is also responsible for Canada's National Wildlife Areas which are federally protected natural areas.

CWS maintains personnel and research/operations facilities in all Environment Canada regions, namely: Atlantic Region, Quebec Region, Ontario Region, Prairie and Northern Region, and Pacific and Yukon Region.

History

CWS traces its history to the early 20th century with the decline and/or extinction of several species of migratory birds in eastern North America as a result of hunting, including the Passenger Pigeon. It became apparent to the federal government that the provincial responsibilities toward hunting regulation of migratory birds by various sub-national jurisdictions (provinces in Canada, states in the United States) was limited in scope.

In 1916, Canada and the United States of America signed the "Migratory Birds Convention", followed by the Parliament of Canada passing the Migratory Birds Convention Act in 1917, which gave the federal government responsibility for managing migratory bird species either harmless or beneficial to man. The Convention adopted a uniform system of protection for certain species of birds which migrate between the United States and Canada, in order to assure the preservation of species including setting dates for closed seasons on migratory birds and prohibiting hunting insectivorous birds, but allowed killing of birds under permit when injurious to agriculture. The Convention was amended by the two countries in 1999 to update and improve the conservation of migratory birds and to establish a legal framework for the subsistence take of birds.

Federal responsibility for the conservation of birds and terrestrial mammals was concentrated in 1947 when the Dominion Wildlife Service (DWS) was formed. By 1970 it was apparent that federal responsibility was required for further wildlife management issues, such as mammals crossing the International Boundary with the United States, as well as Canada's maritime borders with France (St. Pierre and Miquelon), Denmark (Greenland), Russia and Norway. There were also serious problems mounting whereby increasing numbers of wildlife species were threatened with extinction.

In 1973 the Canada Wildlife Act was passed, giving the federal government authority to undertake wildlife research and, in cooperation with the provinces, to undertake wildlife conservation and interpretation activities. This act applies to all "non-domestic animals" in the nation.

CWS currently holds responsibility for 140 National Wildlife Areas across the nation in a variety of environments. CWS scientific experts also advise the federal and provincial governments during environmental impact assessments for various construction and development projects which might have an adverse impact on Canadian wildlife.

See also

• David Peakall
• Ian Stirling

References

• Burnett, James Alexander (2003), A Passion for Wildlife: The History of the Canadian Wildlife Service, UBC Press, ISBN 0774809604, http://books.google.ca/books?id=BXX9tB1ljrUC&lpg=PP1&dq=Canadian%20History&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 

External links

• Official website of Canadian Wildlife Service