In July 2005, 39 new species were added to the list of wildlife species at risk protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). This is the second group of species added to the list since the Act was proclaimed in 2003. To date, 345 species including plants, molluscs, arthropods, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals are protected under SARA.
The purposes of the Act are to prevent Canadian indigenous species, subspecies, and distinct populations from becoming extirpated or extinct, to provide for the recovery of endangered or threatened species and encourage the management of other species to prevent them from becoming at risk. SARA prohibits the killing, harming, harassing, capturing or taking of species listed as threatened, endangered or extirpated* and the destruction of their habitats that are necessary for their survival or recovery. The Act also encourages species protection through voluntary actions, supported by stewardship activities and legal penalties.
Recovery strategies and action plans are developed for species listed as threatened, endangered or extirpated, while management plans are prepared for species of special concern. These plans and strategies are prepared in cooperation with the Government of Canada and the affected provinces, territories, aboriginal organizations, wildlife management boards, landowners and other groups.
Why Some Species are at Risk
Through a long history of evolution, each species has become adapted to fit into a particular ecological niche. When a species becomes at risk of disappearing from Canada, there are many possible causes, including habitat loss and degradation, genetic and reproductive isolation, suppression of natural events, environmental contamination, over harvesting, climate change, disease and invasive species.
Reasons for species to be at risk can be as unique and complex as the individual species themselves. However, a large proportion of these factors have to do with human influence and interaction. This is why government intervention, through legislative mechanisms such as SARA, is necessary to ensure that ecological integrity and biological diversity are protected for generations to come.
The following species are new additions to the wildlife species at risk list and are examples of the varied environmental changes that can impact a species' survival.
Harsh winters, habitat loss and increasingly intensive agricultural practices are major factors in the decline of the Northern Bobwhite in southern Ontario – now on the endangered list. Excessive snow and ice crusts are also detrimental; both cover seeds necessary for the birds' survival. Pesticides can be damaging because this bird feeds on insects. Captive-bred, non-native bobwhites – not as well adapted at surviving in northern environments – seriously harm genetically distinct wild populations through interbreeding. Hunting along with predators such as domestic cats, skunks, foxes, owls, raccoons, dogs and snakes, are also contributing factors.
Definitions for species at risk:
Extirpated: a wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere in the wild
Endangered: wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction
Threatened: wildlife species likely to become an endangered species if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction
Special concern: wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats
The Small-mouthed Salamander, now on the endangered list, is found in southern Ontario by vernal ponds and flooded wetlands, while the larvae are found in water. Loss of habitat to development has led to the loss of sites, as the Small-mouthed Salamander requires an undisturbed forest. The salamander's breeding grounds are also vulnerable to a decrease of water levels during the critical months of March through July (the breeding and larval periods).
Sand-verbena Moth
The main threat to the Sand-verbena Moth is the reduction in the abundance and quality of its host plant, the Yellow Sand-verbena, caused by the degradation of the barren sandy environments, such as the coastal dunes, invaded by vegetation. Since in Canada this species is only found along the sandy coasts of southwestern British Columbia, and with the introduction of invasive exotic species, it is no surprise that the species has been on the decline. Land development and the use of the dunes for recreation are secondary threats, which can be important locally. The Sand-verbena Moth is a monophagous species, meaning that it is totally dependant on the Yellow Sand-verbena throughout its life. Monophagous moths are more vulnerable to extirpation or extinction than moths that can rely on more than one plant species. Another potential threat to the Sand-verbena Moth is the use of a natural pesticide used against many harmful butterflies and moths. Unfortunately, this product also affects non-targeted species. Finally, climate change is a potential threat; by triggering a rise in the sea level, global warming could result in the disappearance of Sand-verbena Moth habitat.
Butternut Tree
The most serious and widespread threat currently faced by the Butternut tree is Butternut canker - a fungus most likely introduced from outside of North America. The most obvious symptom of the disease is the formation of elongated sunken cankers. In spring, a black fluid seeps from the canker and in the summer, the cankers produce very black, often white-bordered spots on the tree. In parts of the United States, up to 77 per cent of Butternut trees have been killed by this fungus. Butternut canker has spread northward and eastward, and is now in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, the three Canadian provinces where the tree is present. This tree is now listed as an endangered species.
Beluga Whale (St. Lawrence Estuary population)
The Beluga Whales living in the St. Lawrence Estuary were added to the threatened list. Several pollutants have been discharged into the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers and their tributaries, as a result of increased industrialization, agricultural development and urbanization. Belugas are being exposed to toxins both through the waterway and by eating contaminated prey species.
The threats to the Steller Sea Lion, found in British Columbia and now listed as a species of special concern, can be classified in two main categories. The first category covers human-induced factors such as hunting and killing. For most of the 20th century, Steller Sea Lions were killed as part of programs to control predators of fish raised in British Columbia fish farms. Other human-induced limiting factors include accidental entanglement in fishing gear or debris; catastrophic accidents such as oil spills and environmental contaminants like heavy metals which are harmful to health; and the relocation of sea lion populations away from their critical habitats, or the degradation of these habitats. The species is also subject to a second category of threats, natural this time, which includes occasional decreases in the number of prey available, predation by killer whales and disease.
