Habitat Secured for Species at Risk

As of March 31, 2012, 168 878 hectares (ha) of habitat had been secured in Canada through the Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) for Species at Risk, benefiting up to 417 species assessed as "at risk" (Endangered, Threatened or of Special Concern) by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).The area secured has increased steadily since the program’s inception in 2000–2001.

Cumulative species at risk habitat secured in Canada by HSP-funded projects, 2000 to 2011

Cumulative species at risk habitat secured in Canada by HSP -funded projects, 2000 to 2011

View data for this chart
How this indicator was calculated

Note: The green line tracks the cumulative habitat secured by the HSP in Canada.
Source: Environment Canada (2012) Canadian Wildlife Service, Species at Risk Funding Programs office.

As of 2011, 616 wildlife species have been assessed as being Endangered, Threatened or of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).[1] Hundreds more may be at risk. For example, the Wild Species report for 2010 ranked the status of 2013 species as At Risk, Possibly At Risk or Sensitive.[2] Although a species can be considered at risk for many reasons, most species decline as a result of human activities that alter habitat, including for example urban sprawl, agriculture, natural resource development, invasive species, pollution and climate change. Recognizing the importance of natural habitat to the survival and recovery of species, the federal government launched the HSP in 2000. The HSP supports the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and gives priority to species included in the "List of Wildlife Species at Risk" (Schedule 1 of SARA).

The HSP provides funding for stewardship activities that, among other conservation actions, secure land for species at risk and support their recovery, improve habitat or mitigate threats to species at risk from human activity. The HSP considers habitat as "secured" when it has been protected through purchase, donation, or other legally binding agreements such as conservation easements.[3] The HSP is not the only program that secures habitat for species at risk. There are a number of federal, provincial and non-governmental organizations and initiatives that secure such habitat.

Related information

[1] This does not include wildlife species listed as Extinct (14) or Extirpated (24), as of 2011.

[2] Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council (2012) Wild Species 2010: The General Status of Species in Canada, National General Status Working Group. Retrieved on 6 September, 2012.

[3] Areas secured under the HSP are protected; however, they may or may not be formally classified as "Protected Areas" under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) definition as applied in Canada.