Activists take Canada’s environment minister to court in fight to save northern spotted owl

Decades of logging have wiped out much of the northern spotted owl’s habitat in British Columbia. Photograph: All Canada Photos/Alamy

Environmental groups in Canada are taking legal action against the country’s environment minister, arguing his delay in protecting old growth forest is harming the critically endangered northern spotted owl.

In February, Steven Guilbeault said he would recommend an emergency order after determining the species was facing “imminent threats” to its survival.