Canada is a large country to the North of the USA (a relatively small portion of this land is Alaska which sits on the northern edge of Canada – however when Canada was formed Alaska was part of Russia, and was sold to the USA).
Canada is actually has the 2nd largest area within its border in the world, putting it bigger than the USA. However, if you only count land area, then the country drops to 7th largest – though still bigger than India. Canada only has a population of 38 million, so just 10 people per square mile. In reality, much of Canada is wild.
There are between 50,000 and 60,000 wolves within the country – far less than there would be naturally, but they are found in 90% of their former territory and this country is one of their true strongholds, and there is much wolf tourism within the country. 40% of Canada is Arctic, and as such it is not surprising that an Arctic wolf is also found here. Figures vary wildly, but a number of places state that 2% of Canadas wolves are white, which would suggest that between 1000 and 1200 Arctic wolves also live in Canada – these beautiful animals are also found on Greenland – however in 2018 estimates put the Greenland wolf population at 200 – even if this was a vast underestimate, what is clear is that most Arctic wolves live in Canada
Around 29,000 grizzly bears are found in Canada, though this is greatly reduced from their historical population. Perhaps a way to see this, is to look at Alaska – although it is only 18% of the size of Canada, Alaska has more bears at 30,000. This population appears to be growing. However, given that the Grizzly bear population of the USA (apart from Alaska and Hawaii) is 1200-1500, it suggests that Canadian bears are actually doing alright.
In terms of black bears, Canada is thought to have a population of 380,000 black bears, compared to just 220,000 in the USA. They are a popular trophy species, and it is thought that around 500,000 were killled over the last 11 years, or about 45,000 a year. This is not a good situation, and it is quite likely that there are many parts of the USA and Canada which could generate more money by photographic safaris rather than hunting them.
Canada is an arctic national and as such hosts roughly 16,000 of the 20,000-25,000 remaining polar bears on the planet. There is also a relatively well developed tourism industry for polar bear watching.
There are a fascinating range of other species that can be found in Canada, These may well be added over time.
Given a population of an average European country, and generally clumped in specific areas, there are large areas which have very low populations. 60% of the countries population live in 2 provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
There are a wide range of places that are great to go for wildlife. We will work to link with operators around this country over time, but below the news section are links to our pages about those we identified within Canada. They will also be on the map above.
News in brief – Canada nationalising Kinder Morgan pipeline and Waitrose singled out for failing to reduce waste
Canada nationalising kinder Morgan pipeline Justin Trudeau has successfully made Canada look like an environmentally forward looking government, Â but if this pipe gets nationalised all that is likely to go out the window.
Wolves are a natural part of almost every ecosystem in America, will they be allowed to return?
It is back in the 1940s that wolves were last resident in the Grand Canyon national park. This is why it was so exciting that a grey wolf is roaming the northern rim of the grand canyon.
Rich countries continue to fail to live up to pledge of $100 billion dollars a year to poor countries to help climate mitigation
The worlds international deals of all kinds rely on countries doing what they promise, though it is true that if a small country promises a big country, then the big country can make them fulfil their pledge. What should happen here? It is by definition the case, that the poor countries are those that has …
What did Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip do for conservation, and will things change under King Charles the third
The queen has died suddenly at the age of 96. This is a good age by anyone’s standards, but understandably, across the UK and the many parts of the Commonwealth where the queen remains the head of state it is still disconcerting when things change. What impact did the queen have on wildlife? Well unfortunately …
Oil fields of Botswana and Namibia threaten 130,000 elephants
While currently only exploratory, oil projects in the ecosystems of Namibia and Botswana potentially threaten the survival of 130,000 elephants – one of Africa’s last great wildernesses. The company ReconAfrica is going ahead with its search despite the threats. At the current time, there are roughly 450,000 elephants in Africa, but that is down from …
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Natural regeneration of the rainforest – what does this tell us
A recent study has showed that over the last 20 years, an area of rainforest the size of France has naturally regenerated. This is not an insignificant area of land, consisting of 59 million hectares (half a million square kilometres).
Just 3% of worlds ecosystems classed as prestine!
Apart fro areas of the Congo and Amazon rainforests, and areas of Siberia canada and the Sahara, virtually all other ecosystems have been adversely affected. Many ecosystems look intact, until we realize that important members from these ecosystems are missing. It is unfortunately true that humans are almost always responsible for these holes in the …
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Paris agreement for nature?
At the beginning of January an new agreement was signed by 50 countries who pledged to protect 30% of the earths land and oceans. The intention of this agreement is to stem the flow of extinctions that human activity has been causing for the last few centuries. The hope is that this agreement can form …
Wolf hunting in the USA: Wisconsin Hunt vastly overshoots
Under Trump, the American wolf lost its endangered species status. This was not a scientific decision, it was a political. It is true that the number of wolves in North America has grown dramatically since hunting was banned across most areas. However it is absolutely absurd to suggest that the population has recovered.
Tar sands pipeline cancelled (keystone)
This is a foolish project that is survived for far too long in the USA. The pipeline that Joe Biden has promised to cancel was meant to bring oil from the tar sands of Canada. Not a particularly cheap a source of oil, and one of the most polluting in the world this is the …
A warning about the upcoming American election, denial of scientific fact can’t continue – we must get the word out
Introduction Before I get into this article I want to make a few points clear. Firstly I recognise I’m not an American, that is why I’m writing an article about this rather than voting. Secondly the concept that non Americans don’t have a right to have a view is insane, not least because even if …
28 trillion tones of ice lost in 26 years
Permanent ice caps are melting at increasingly rapid rates. The permanent ice that covers Antarctica Greenland and large parts of Canada lock up vast quantities of water that would otherwise be part of the ocean.Â
Despite the calls for a green recovery, governments are spending more on fossil fuels
In America stimulus payments to fossil fuels companies amount to $58 billion, yet only spent $25 billion on renewable energy projects. Some countries include Australia Canada, and France have attached strings to bailouts which require carbon reduction. Despite 17% carbon dioxide reductions during the shutdown, the rebound has been almost as fast, with carbon emissions …
The attack on the Brazilian rainforest by Bolsonaro continues – On to indigenous lands
As European settlers moved around the world, they often treated the local population badly. In a significant portion of the world this bad behaviour took the form of small parts of the land being given to the the local population and the rest of the country being taken by the Settlers. In some places such …
Boreal forests burning at a rate not seen in 10,000 years
The boreal forests form a ring of trees around the North Pole. These forests house around 30% of the world’s trees. This forest exists in Russia, Canada, the USA, Finland and Norway.
Start of the grizzly hunt in the US has been suspended, and now permanently halted
Trump’s determination to ignore all Science on all things to do with the environment continues. In recent times, his administration has decided many species should lose their protection. The conservationists must now prove that a proposed development, for example, will harm wildlife, instead of the developer having to prove that it won’t.Â
News in Brief – Reduction in the carbon cost of smelting aluminium, mysterious rise in banned ozone depleting chemicals, does the UK really need until 2040 to stop selling hydrocarbon powered cars?
Reduction in the carbon cost of smelting aluminium At the moment aluminium smelting is a process which uses carbon dioxide, as an ingredient,  which is then released. New technology has been developed that will drastically cut carbon emissions from aluminium production. This is such a carbon intensive process that the change will save 6.5 billion …