Story at a glance
- The owl is considered endangered in Canada and biologists believe less than six owls remain in the wild.
- Only three adult spotted owls have been located by researchers, including just one breeding pair.
- The Canadian and British Columbia governments have struck a deal to defer logging operations for at least a year in the few remaining old-growth forests the owls used to thrive in.
The few remaining wild northern spotted owls in Canada are getting a new chance at survival.
The medium-sized owl is thought to have historically inhabited forests throughout southwestern British Columbia, western Washington and Oregon and parts of northwestern California.
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But as the species relies on old-growth forests to roost, nest and forage, ongoing logging over the years has caused their numbers to nose dive.
The owl is considered endangered in Canada and biologists believe less than six owls remain in the wild in the southwestern corner of mainland British Columbia. Only three adult spotted owls have been located by researchers, including just one breeding pair. Prior to the beginning of industrial logging, an estimated 500 pairs of spotted owls lived in the region.
In response, researchers have been taking the pair’s chicks on occasion for a captive breeding program, and now, the Canadian and British Columbia governments have struck a deal to defer logging operations for at least a year in the few remaining old-growth forests the owls used to thrive in while permanent protections are developed, according to The Guardian.
The move earlier this year was applauded by conservation groups and the local Spô’zêm First Nation in British Columbia.
“Spô’zêm First Nation stands proud as we have further shown that with the right intentions, collaboration and productive dialogue great things are achievable,” Spô’zêm Nation Chief James Hobart said in a statement.
British Columbia ministry of environment said the agreement will help build on an existing plan to protect the species, which aims to protect 25 percent of Canada’s lands and waters by 2025. Environmentalists are pushing governments to protect enough forest habitat to accommodate 250 spotted owls.
The species is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in the U.S. Scientists estimate 1,200 pairs of owls in Oregon, 560 in northern California and 500 pairs in Washington.
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