Threats to Wildlife

Without habitat there is no wildlife. Any threats to the habitat of an animal or plant species are a serious threat to that species existence.

Threats to Aquatic Environments

Healthy aquatic ecosystems are those where human disturbances have not impaired the natural functioning or significantly altered the structure of the system. An unhealthy aquatic ecosystem is one where the natural state is out of balance.

Physical Threats

Shoreline Disturbance

Natural vegetation along the shoreline of lakes and rivers plays a crucial role in protecting water quality, preventing soil erosion and preserving the ecological balance of aquatic environments.

Ninety per cent of all lake life is born, raised and fed inCows on the Shore the area where land and water meet. The shallow water and the first 10 to 15 metres of shore land forms a ribbon of life around lakes and rivers that is essential to the survival of many species. This rich and complex habitat supports plants, micro-organisms, insects, amphibians, birds, mammals and fish. The removal of vegetation, installation of retaining walls or dumping sand to create an unnatural beach, damage the natural shoreline and can decrease water quality.

Chemical Threats

Drain PipeMunicipal wastewater effluents are the liquid wastes that come out of a community’s sewer system and municipal wastewater treatment plants. There are two types: sanitary sewage, which comes from homes, businesses, institutions, and industries; and stormwater, which comes from rain or melting snow that drains off rooftops, lawns, roads, and other urban surfaces. Sanitary sewage usually receives some level of treatment before being discharged into a receiving body of water.

Biological Threats

Invasive Asian CarpOver Fishing

Each year, we harvest and consume more than one quarter of the annual fish production of oceans and tropical marine shelves. Of the approximately 1000 fish species in Canada, four species are thought to be globally extinct, two are no longer found in Canadian waters, and 49 are listed as endangered, threatened, or vulnerable as a result of over fishing. Over harvesting to this extent can greatly affect the biodiversity of many important aquatic ecosystems by causing a loss of genetic diversity as well as, a loss in the relative abundance of fish species; and has a direct impact on the food chain.