EcoWest News, April 4, 2023

Welcome to EcoWest News, a weekly round-up of news and resources that you can put to use in addressing environmental issues and protecting the wild in your community.

Across the West

The Qualicum Beach branch of Fridays for the Future is calling on federal politicians to consult with youth in their riding before voting on any bill affecting greenhouse gas emissions. “We’ll be inheriting this,” they say. [The Tyee]

Peatlands cool the planet by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, trapping it deep underground. A quarter of the world’s peatlands are in Canada, but some, such as the Hudson Bay Lowlands, are under threat from mining. [18-min. video, Global News]

Around the World

Dogs maul seal pups, outcompete eagles for dead fish, and dig up turtle nests. They chase and kill shorebirds. What will it take to control beach dogs—and, more importantly, their owners? [Hakai]

Technology isn’t enough. You need to understand bird ecology to stop birds from landing on toxic ponds. [Mother Jones]

“All zoos should make conservation their top priority, which will inevitably be accompanied by education and research. Without that, a zoo becomes just a business: one the world would be better off without.” [Knowable]

“Allowing key animal species to reach ecologically meaningful densities as part of dynamic landscapes and seascapes would probably shorten the time” it takes to hit milestones for reducing atmospheric carbon. [Anthropocene]

“In greener living environments, depression, diabetes, ADHD, migraines, high blood pressure and premature births are less common.” [Pop-Up City]

Turf Wars

Artificial grass is “an environmental nightmare, green in name only.” [The Guardian]

Five years ago, BC's Langford City Council made artificial turf official on boulevards and some property frontages. The decision has now been reversed, noting in part that artificial grass requires much higher maintenance. [Times Colonist]

Restore, Assert and Defend

The Restore, Assert and Defend (RAD) network, established by the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership, researches and shares knowledge to answer two questions:

What if Indigenous Peoples were at the centre of Nature Based Solutions, and our rights and knowledge systems helped inform design and implementation?

What conservation finance pathways can secure Indigenous guardianship over lands, advance protection of biodiversity, safeguard Indigenous culture and knowledge, and create climate solutions? [CRP]

Small but Mighty

“If you’re a gardener looking for a new challenge, consider revamping all or part of your yard to support beneficial insects.” Here’s how. [Rewilding]

Burrowing sand wasps, nocturnal rove beetles, and speedy tiger beetles are just some of the abundant life found in the sand dunes at the ocean’s edge along the coast of BC. [2.5 min. video, Hakai Institute]

Stephen Buchmann believes bees are self-aware, sentient beings with complex feelings and problem-solving skills. “Is the dominant western culture capable of accepting that even the tiniest of creatures have feelings?” [The Guardian]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/34593145401/

EcoFriendly West informs and encourages initiatives that support Western Canada’s natural environment through its online publication and the Nature Companion website/app. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe by email.