The Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news
Searching for the contorted-pod evening-primrose, I crawled along a sandbar at Witty’s Lagoon, careful not to accidentally crush this wee yellow flower with red stems. I was hunting for it as part of my mission to see some of Canada’s critically imperilled species, and when I finally located one, poking out of the sand, it was easy to understand how beachgoers could unknowingly trample it out of existence.
Despite this, land for development is at a premium and nature is disappearing as the region expands. Even those temperate rainforests, sandy beaches, and flowering meadows that have been protected, are being loved to death by visitors. The consequences are potentially dire: When we wipe out a species, whether plant or animal, it is not only the loss of something unique – the biodiversity that humans depend on to survive is eroded.
What I found was a much-needed tonic for ecological anxiety. I’m often writing about the battles over fossil fuel development and old-growth logging, about the growing impact of extreme heat, wildfires, and floods. During my springtime quest, I was reminded that there are many people working to prevent the loss of species that are little-known, and sometimes literally underfoot.
I wasn’t alone at Witty’s Lagoon looking for the evening-primrose. I was following volunteers with the Metchosin Biodiversity Project, who have devoted countless hours to restoring the very particular habitat for this flower. Witty’s Lagoon is one of Greater Victoria’s regional parks that needs to balance public access to nature with the need to protect nature for the future. The park attracted more than 100,000 visitors in 2022. Conservationists have proposed to have the small section of sand dune where the evening-primrose grows designated as one of Canada’s key biodiversity areas.
The Metchosin Biodiversity Project is a great example of this. “This entire dune area here used to be 100-per-cent covered with Scotch broom, taller than me, until volunteer crews removed it,” Mr. MacKinnon said. “We’re trying to re-establish an ideal habitat.”
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Goldman Sachs’ top stock picks to benefit from artificial intelligenceDaily roundup of research and analysis from The Globe and Mail’s market strategist Scott Barlow
Read more »
As earnings loom, investors weigh recession resilienceThe Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news
Read more »
15 endangered Vancouver Island marmots released into the wild by helicopterThe Marmot Recovery Foundation is celebrating the release of 15 endangered Vancouver Island marmots in the Nanaimo Lakes region.
Read more »
Globe editorial: Canada’s cities need to get to the tippling pointCannabis decriminalization has highlighted the absurdity of open-alcohol laws in Canadian cities
Read more »
Globe editorial: Reality deflates the NDP’s Big Grocery conspiracy theoryThere is simply no evidence that grocery stores inflated their prices during the pandemic. But there are other ways to critique the industry
Read more »
Take The Globe’s business and investing news quizTake our business and investing quiz to test your recall for the week ending July 7
Read more »