Loon and Loon ChicksCanadians love and appreciate wildlife. For many of us wildlife provides powerful images that help define the very essence of our country: the cry of a loon echoing across a lonely lake, the power and majesty of a polar bear, great Vs of Canada Geese wheeling in the sky. The experience of wildlife enriches the lives of all Canadians.

There are important emotional and social reasons why humans need to experience wildlife and nature from time to time. We all have to recharge our batteries, to get out and breathe a little fresh air. Sometimes simply taking a walk in the park or setting up a backyard bird feeder is enough; at other times we seek more active pastimes such as hiking, hunting, canoeing, or wildlife photography.

The quality of these experiences is directly related to the quality of our Canadian wildlife and wildlife habitat.

Canadians are starting to learn that wildlife is not merely a source of personal pleasure, as deep and meaningful as that pleasure might be. We are beginning to understand that the health of our wildlife is an excellent indication of the health of the environment on which we depend, and that healthy wildlife populations and habitat are important to our social and economic well-being.

Canadian GeeseBenefits of Wildlife

Wildlife:

• features in the activities of 91 percent of the population, or an estimated 19 million Canadians
• plays a vital role in the ecological and biological processes that are essential to life itself
• is important in the discovery or development of most pharmaceutical products
• plays an impressive part in the Canadian economy

Click here for more information on the Benefits of Wildlife

Read more: Threats to Wildlife

Read Local: Wildlife in My Watershed

Adapted from Canadian Wildlife Service & Canadian Wildlife Federation: Benefits of Wildlife