Wildlife Assessment and Monitoring
Any project where alteration or change to the natural environment is likely to take place has the potential to impact wildlife and wildlife habitat.
Regulatory Overview
To best understand the potential risks and mitigative requirements in relation to any given project, thorough assessment is first required.
Project specific wildlife assessments may include:.
- Pre/post construction Wildlife Surveys
- Species at Risk Surveys
- Bird Surveys
- Migratory Bird Nest Sweeps
- Breeding Bird Surveys
- Migration Surveys
- Owl Surveys
- Raptor Nest Surveys
- Amphibian Surveys
- Nocturnal/Diurnal Surveys
- Call Playback Surveys
- Winter Tracking (small and large mammal)
- Remote Camera Trapping
GREEN PLAN Ltd’s
qualified professional biologists have extensive experience throughout western Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan) conducting all the above-mentioned surveys/assessments.
Projects which have the potential to disturb wildlife must adhere to all federal and provincial regulations. In relation to wildlife, there are three main pieces of legislation which govern wildlife species:
The Migratory Birds Convention Act (Government of Canada, 1994) provides for the protection of migratory birds and migratory bird habitat. A migratory bird is defined as “a migratory bird referred to in the Convention Act, and includes sperm, eggs, embryos, tissue cultures, and parts of the bird.” The Act is administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada. The Migratory Birds Convention Act provides protection for migratory birds regardless of whether, or not formal approval from CWS is required.
The purposes of the Species at Risk Act (SARA; GOC 2020a) are to prevent Canadian indigenous species, subspecies and distinct populations of wildlife from becoming extirpated or extinct, to provide for the recovery of endangered or threatened species, and to encourage the proactive management of other species to prevent them from becoming at risk.
In efforts to best protect wildlife and wildlife habitat, the Wildlife Act, states that a project shall not disturb or destroy a house, nest or den of prescribed wildlife at prescribed times as noted in the Regulations. The Wildlife Act protects the nests of most species not covered under the MBCA, such as gamebirds and birds of prey.
Closure
We all at Green Plan Ltd. strive to provide our clients with the best quality work in an efficient fashion. We are available at any time for our clients and ensure working with Green Plan Ltd. is a cooperative and trusting experience that will continue long into the future.