Our Approach

WCS Canada uses a unique blend of on-the-ground scientific research and policy action to help protect wildlife across Canada. Our scientists are leaders in developing solutions to address conservation challenges, from the impacts of climate change on wildlife and wild areas to the cumulative effects of resource development and other human impacts. We work in some of the wildest corners of Canada to build a scientific case for the conservation of globally important wild areas, like the Ontario Northern Boreal, the Northern Boreal Mountains of BC and Yukon, and the Arctic Ocean, where there is still a big opportunity to protect intact ecosystems. We combine insights gained from our “muddy boots” fieldwork with a big-picture conservation vision to speak up for species such as caribou, wolverine, bats, bison, freshwater fish, migratory birds and marine mammals. This unique approach has led to many conservation successes, including a seven-fold expansion of Nahanni National Park, protection of Yukon’s pristine Peel Watershed and the creation of the Castle Wildland Park in southern Alberta. WCS’ research and conservation efforts in Ontario, meanwhile, have inspired the provincial government to commit to large-scale protection in the northern boreal, revising endangered species legislation, as well as the federal government’s commitment to reform the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

WCS Canada scientists have been working in Yukon since 2007 conducting field research on wildlife, such as otters, snowshoe hares, salmon, and migratory birds, as well as on ecosystems, particularly productive and rich valley bottom forests and wetlands. Our scientists have also been studying the cumulative effects of climate change and human/industrial disturbance. We have provided scientific expertise to a range of public policy and management processes, from wetland policy and wolf management planning to biomass energy and off-road vehicle regulations. We also work with First Nations on regional land use planning and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, as well as collaborating on research projects with various First Nation communities.