How do we know that these species are at risk?

To prevent the extinction of species, we must first find out what species we have, where they can be found and what their status is. A group of federal, provincial and territorial government scientists regularly assess the General Status of Wild Species in Canada. We can thus sound the alarm for certain species that would be at risk.

It is the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) whose responsibility is to evaluate the status of wildlife at risk in Canada. Established in 1977, it brings together wildlife experts who assess scientific reports on the status of species suspected to be at risk. The entire Committee then designates these species in one of the five following categories:

EXTINCT: a wildlife species that no longer exists.

EXTIRPATED: a wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere.

ENDANGERED: a wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

THREATENED: a wildlife species likely to become an endangered species if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction.

SPECIAL CONCERN: a wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

According to the Species at Risk Act, the Government of Canada takes COSEWIC's classification into consideration when establishing the List of Wildlife Species at Risk.