A Wolf Conservation Strategy for Ontario To: [email protected] Honourable Donna Cansfield Minister of Natural Resources Room 6630, Whitney Block 99 Wellesley St. West Toronto, ON M7A 1W3 Phone: 416- 314-2301 Fax: 416-325-5316 Dear Madam, Despite recent conservation initiatives, there are still many threats to wolves that have not been addressed. There is no limit for trappers and wolf hunting and trapping remain unregulated and unrestricted in southeastern Ontario along the Frontenac Axis (a region which could provide prime habitat for the Eastern wolf, a Species at Risk). A province-wide recovery plan for the Eastern wolf has yet to be created. The Ministry of Natural Resources is currently assessing wolf populations using winter track-based surveys to provide landscape wolf densities and refine the provincial estimate. The overall estimate of 8,800 wolves may be close to the actual population in Ontario, although the data has not been fully completed and analyzed. Wolves are only adequately protected on 3% of their range in the province while 97% remains open to hunting and trapping. There are only a few parks in Ontario that are off limits to hunters and trappers and large enough to sustain a viable wolf population. There is clearly an imbalance between the percentage of the landbase where wolves are managed as game and the few protected areas, off-limits to traps and bullets, where wolves can just be wolves. Keeping critical wolf habitat areas free of exploitation is necessary if we want true wilderness in Ontario. A wolf conservation plan must recognize the important ecological role wolves play as a keystone species, integral to biodiversity preservation and natural ecosystem functions. Predators fulfill an indispensable role in the ecosystem by keeping prey populations in check and ensuring that the fittest survive. By chasing herds of caribou and other ungulates, wolves protect diverse landscapes from being overgrazed. As a “top of the food chain” predator, wolves have a ripple effect on the whole ecosystem. When a wolf takes down its prey, ravens, eagles, wolverines and bears are just some of the many animals that share in the feast. Protecting wolves helps ensure that the ranges and ecological requirements of many other species are protected as well. Therefore I urge you to take further measures to truly protect wolves in Ontario. I want to see : - limits on wolf trapping - a ban on hunting and trapping wolves in all protected areas - the implementation of an Eastern wolf recovery plan - a ban on wolf snaring - new conservation reserves to fully protect wolves and their habitat Sincerely,
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 15:22:35 +0000
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