Wolf Conservation in Ontario: The Disconnect Between Science and Policy
The Canidae family includes wolves, foxes, coyotes, and their hybrids. Several different “types” of wolf-like canids have been described in Ontario. These are the
- northern gray wolf, which inhabits the subarctic tundra;
- eastern wolf (or “Algonquin type”), which inhabits the deciduous forests of the upper Great Lakes;
- “Great Lakes type,” an eastern wolf/gray wolf hybrid that inhabits the boreal forests; and
- eastern coyote, an eastern wolf/coyote hybrid.
Both the provincial Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) and the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) list the eastern wolf as a subspecies (Canis lupus lycaon) of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and designate it as a “species of special concern.” Recent research by Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) staff and other scientists, however, has suggested that the eastern wolf is not a gray wolf subspecies, but rather a separate species whose taxonomic distinctiveness has been reduced by interbreeding with both coyotes (Canis latrans) and gray wolves. If correct, this finding would have numerous management and conservation implications. Accordingly, after reviewing the available scientific and taxonomic information, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged the presence of two wolf species in the western Great Lakes area (the gray wolf and the eastern wolf ), stating that “recent wolf genetic studies indicate that what was formerly thought to be a subspecies of gray wolf is actually a distinct species.”
Given recent research results and their ramifications for wolf conservation, in December 2010, two applicants requested that the Ontario government revise its legislative and policy framework for managing wolves. Specifically, the applicants requested that MNR:
- ask the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) to reclassify the eastern wolf to a higher at-risk status under the ESA and to assess its taxonomic designation as a unique species (Canis lycaon);
- change the eastern wolf’s classification under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (FWCA ) from that of a “furbearing mammal,” which can be hunted and trapped in accordance with specific conditions, to a “specially protected mammal,” which cannot be hunted or trapped except in defence of property;
- review its Strategy for Wolf Conservation in Ontario (2005); and
- prohibit the harvesting (i.e., hunting and trapping) of wolves in protected areas.
Ministry Response
In March 2011, MNR denied the application for the following reasons.
First, MNR concluded there is no need to ask COSSARO to reassess the eastern wolf’s ESA status since COSSARO is expected to do so in spring 2013 after receiving an updated status report from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). (COSEWIC, the federal committee that classifies at-risk species under the SARA, is scheduled to reassess the eastern wolf’s classification in April 2013.)
Second, MNR argued that the eastern wolf’s current FWCA classification as a furbearing mammal “allows flexibility to implement appropriate regulatory measures to conserve wolf populations while providing a wider range of tools available to landowners experiencing conflicts with wild canids (e.g., coyote).” MNR reasoned that reclassifying the eastern wolf as a specially protected mammal would “provide no further advantage for wolf protection and would prevent flexibility in species management.”
Third, with regard to the request to review the Strategy for Wolf Conservation in Ontario, MNR concluded that although research is providing important information on eastern and gray wolves, it is important to obtain the final results of the ministry’s research in order to make informed decisions on whether a review of Ontario’s wolf strategy is required following COSEWIC’s and COSSARO’s re-assessments.
Finally, in response to the applicants’ request to prohibit the harvesting of wolves in protected areas, MNR responded that section 15(1) of the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006 (PPCRA) already prohibits the hunting of eastern wolves in provincial parks. According to MNR, approximately one-third of the commercial trapping licences held in provincial parks may only be held for the licence holder’s lifetime; once those trapping licences lapse, they will not be renewed for non-Aboriginal trappers. Moreover, no new traplines may be registered within provincial parks or conservation reserves. MNR noted that wolf hunting is consistent with the objective of conservation reserves to provide opportunities for ecologically sustainable land uses.
For the full text of the ministry’s decision, see our website at www.eco.on.ca.
New Information
Five months after the applicants submitted their application, a peer-reviewed study was published that used a new genomic tool to examine the genetic relationships of wolf-like species worldwide. Amongst other things, the study found that both the “Great Lakes wolf” and the eastern (or “Algonquin”) wolf have highly blended genomes derived primarily from gray wolves. This study, therefore, reopens the debate as to whether the eastern wolf is a unique species closely related to the red wolf (Canis rufus).
ECO Comment
The ECO is disappointed that the ministry denied this review; a request to review a ministry policy due to new scientific information – some of it generated by MNR itself – is an excellent use of the rights afforded the public under the Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993.
In its response to the applicants, MNR asserted that “there is presently not complete scientific agreement that the eastern wolf is a unique species,” an assertion supported by the release of a new genetic analysis (see New Information above). Prior to this study’s publication, however, the most recent scientific information rejected the hypothesis that the eastern wolf is a gray wolf subspecies. Likewise, MNR’s 2007 State of Resources report on wolves states that “there are two species of wolf in Ontario: the gray wolf… and the eastern wolf,” and MNR’s Backgrounder on Wolf Conservation in Ontario (2005) explains that research “concludes that the eastern wolf (C. lycaon) is a distinct species of wolf very closely related to the red wolf (C. rufus), rather than a subspecies of gray wolf as originally thought.” To avoid the confusion caused by contradictory messages, it is imperative that MNR revise its policies and publications to reflect the current state of the science.
Irrespective of any future ESA re-classification, MNR should revise its Wolf Conservation Strategy to reflect new information. Although the strategy itself states that MNR will “develop and maintain adequate policy and legislation/ regulation support for wolf conservation by: reviewing legislation, regulations and policy direction periodically in light of new information” and “revising conservation approaches as new knowledge and information becomes available,” the strategy was not updated to reflect scientific studies that suggest that the eastern wolf is a unique species. Other information that could be considered includes the finding that protecting wolves from harvesting can restore the natural social structure of their packs. The ECO urges MNR to actually employ the adaptive management approach referred to in its strategy and update its policy and regulatory framework accordingly.
Almost a decade ago, the ECO urged MNR to consider classifying the eastern wolf as a specially protected mammal until it is no longer considered a species of special concern. The ECO is entirely unconvinced by MNR’s argument that classifying the eastern wolf as a specially protected mammal would provide no further protection, otherwise there would be no reason for this classification to exist. Rather, the ECO considers the protection from hunting and trapping afforded by the FWCA’s specially protected mammal category to be a considerably higher level of protection. The ECO is also unimpressed with MNR’s argument that classifying the eastern wolf as a furbearing mammal provides “a wider range of tools” for managing landowner-coyote conflicts. The ECO considers this a poor excuse for limiting the protection of a species at risk – especially since the FWCA allows landowners to capture or kill wildlife (including specially protected mammals) that are damaging or about to damage their property. MNR’s priority must be conserving at-risk species, not simplifying its management of nuisance animals.
The ECO acknowledges that hunting, in general, may be consistent with the objective of conservation reserves to provide outdoor recreational opportunities. Nevertheless, the ECO believes that – except for the traditional activities of First Nations and Aboriginal peoples – it is inappropriate to allow the harvesting of species at risk in any protected area, whether it is a provincial park or conservation reserve. Indeed, the PPCRA states that the maintenance of ecological integrity, including healthy and viable populations of species at risk, shall be the first priority in planning and managing provincial parks and conservation reserves.
Finally, although wolf hunting is prohibited in provincial parks, the trapping of wolves – which has resulted in much higher wolf mortality rates than hunting in recent years – is not. If MNR’s reluctance to prohibit trapping of eastern wolves in provincial parks is related to the inability of traps to discriminate among species, the ECO urges MNR to prioritize the conservation of species at risk and promptly ban trapping in provincial parks altogether. The ECO notes this issue would have been addressed if MNR had held to its long-standing policy to phase out trapping in provincial parks by 2010; unfortunately, MNR reversed its position at the eleventh hour and granted non-transferrable lifetime extensions, allowing trapping in provincial parks to continue.
| Recommendation 3:
The ECO recommends that MNR ban both the hunting and trapping (except by First Nations and Aboriginal peoples) of species at risk in all protected areas. |
For a more detailed review of this application, please refer to Section 5.6.3 of the Supplement to this Annual Report. For ministry comments, please see Appendix C.
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| This is an article from the 2010/11 Annual Report to the Legislature from the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. |
Citing This Article:
Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. 2011. "Wolf Conservation in Ontario: The Disconnect Between Science and Policy." Engaging Solutions, ECO Annual Report, 2010/11. Toronto: The Queen's Printer for Ontario. 39-42.
