Excerpted from the blog of Burnaby resident Paul Cipywnyk
Apparently a large chunk of key fish and wildlife habitat in Burnaby, BC, could become a compost pile.
When I saw the story 20 acres of Burnaby park could be converted from wetlands to waste facility, I gasped in horror.
Holy crap! Why even contemplate such a move?
According to the article, city staff say the site is not currently used as a recreational facility. How about the dog walkers and bird watchers? Not every park has to have human-centric “recreational facilities.”
By the city’s tone, it seems wetlands are a wasted use of land. Uh, wetlands are crucial for biodiversity, and are key to battling the effects of climate change.
The city claims it will somehow magically compensate by creating fish habitat elsewhere. Good luck with that. Yes, sometimes compensation works. But much of what they are planning to destroy was enhanced as off-channel salmonid habitat decades ago.
In effect, habitat restoration will be destroyed and supposedly compensated with other habitat restoration. Sheesh!
The article says the development “will affect almost 20 acres of wetland habitat (including more than 10 acres of swamp, about six acres of forest and almost three acres of marsh).”
For anyone who thinks getting rid of swamps, marshes, and other wetlands is positive, nothing could be further from the truth.
Paul Cipywnyk
