TORONTO STAR (Ontario) 04 July 08 Hanging on; The vulnerable Jefferson salamander just one of several species threatened by exemptions in protection act (Nick Kyonka)
Photo: The province has identified the Jefferson salamander as a "threatened" species. (Toronto Star)
The Jefferson salamander is one species caught between the good and the bad of the new Endangered Species Act.
The first act in North America to protect both endangered species and their surrounding habitats, the act, which came into effect Monday, allows temporary exemptions from its guidelines for resource-driven industries.
The Jefferson salamander has been identified by the province as a "threatened" species, as opposed to "endangered." Under the old legislation, it would not have received full protection, but it is now one of 10 "fast-tracked" species to be fully protected as of next June.
In the meantime, however, the tiny amphibian is considered one of the species most vulnerable to the act's exemptions. The forestry industry has a one-year exemption, and there are three-year exemptions in place for the pits, and quarries and development industries. All threaten to destroy the salamander's woodland habitat across the province, environment groups say.
"It's been a bit of a poster child for development versus species protection, " notes Caroline Schultz, executive director of the group Ontario Nature.
While the Jefferson salamander used to feature prominently in the GTA and across the province, years of development have stripped the species of much of its habitat. Pollution and predators have also slowly picked away at its numbers, and it now exists only in isolated pockets across the province.
Hanging on