For years the B.C. government has faced criticism over significant gaps in legislation and policy that leave nature vulnerable to exploitation. Now, in the midst of a global biodiversity crisis, the province is developing new ways to protect species. But B.C.’s forestry watchdog says the province should make better use of the tools it already has under the Forest and Range Practices Act to stem the habitat losses driving species decline. “Although government has a range of flexible and adaptive tools, its overall approach has not achieved a reduction in the number of species at risk. Instead, many species like the northern goshawk have become more imperiled as threats to habitat availability increase,” the Forest Practices Board wrote in a recent report. The Ministry of Forests said the “government is working on a variety of initiatives related to managing habitat for species at risk.”