(Alfred Hecht)

Teaching aim: Problem oriented approach to environmental issues such as the threat of natural species (animals and plants) in Canada. At the same time discussion of various means of protection of the environment (e.g. natural parks). Keywords: Wildlife, extinction of species, fur trade, forestry, pollution, national parks, environmental protection, environmental organizations

In the nineteenth century, some species of wild life, such as the passenger pigeon [1], were completely hunted to extinction in North America, and other creatures such as the buffalo [2] almost suffered the same fate. One reason why the fur trade marched so rapidly across the country from bases on the St. Lawrence River and Hudson Bay, until it was carried to all parts of the Canada of today, was that the beaver [3] were almost killed off locally in many parts of eastern North America, and traders were constantly seeking virgin territory to exploit. It is not a pretty story. Forests were another problem. There were concerns in the nineteenth century about the way saw mills polluted streams and about the fire hazards in the forests. Laws were legislated to protect woodland resources and thus the environment, but these were inadequately enforced. However, large wilderness parks such as Algonquin Park [4] in Ontario, were established to conserve forest resources in particular, but they also quickly became recreational areas.  Banff National Park [5] in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta was established in 1885 by the Canadian government, the first of many national parks intended to protect particular scenic features and make them available for public use.

In the twentieth century, further government efforts developed slowly to conserve natural resources, especially the forests, and regulate hunting, fishing, and trapping. Associated with this was a growing parks movement, reserving land on attractive rivers and lakes, especially in the Shield and mountains, for recreational purposes. In the 1960s, there was a sudden much more widespread public recognition of the need to protect the environment against pollution, and public lobbying organizations and government agencies and departments were formed to help protect the environment. Today, there are many official regulations requiring environmental reviews before resource and other development can proceed, and government agencies are in place to monitor this. International environmental groups have entered the struggle to protest against killing seals [6], especially pups, trapping fur bearing animals, and the clear cutting of forests [7]. Local groups dependent on these resources for their livelihoods, including Native peoples, and forest corporations resent this outside interference.  But since the markets for such commodities are international the outside protest organizations do have considerable impacts. Environmental disasters still occur because of relentless over exploitation, such as the great cod disaster [8] of the early 1990's, when the Atlantic coast cod fishery had to be closed in a desperate attempt to preserve the cod stock [9]. Indeed, the environmental battle never ends. There is a continuing struggle between companies wishing to exploit natural resources [10] and environmental organizations striving to conserve the land.

Questions for further consideration: Discuss the apparent contradiction of Canada having many resources but also many environmental problems. What are the reasons for the creation of environmental concern groups? What is more important a job or environmental/conservation objectivies? Interactive Quiz

[1] http://www.ris.net/~tony/ppigeon.html
[2] http://www.tallgrass.org/buffalo.html
[3] http://wildlifepark.gov.ns.ca/kids/coloringpages/beaver.gif
[4] http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca
[5] http://www.canadianrockies.net/bnpmain.html
[6] http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=21446
[7] http://www.greenpeace.org
[8] http://www.imma.org/orlando2.html
[9] http://www.gov.nf.ca/fishaq/statistics/statistics.stm
[10] http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/environment/practsustainforest/forestrycanada/default.asp