Turn off accessible linear format and redisplay the web page in it's original layout. The Wildlife Toxicology Division leads Environment Canada's National Wildlife Toxicology Program. The division's national office, together with units within the Canadian Wildlife Service's five regional offices, is the principal source of scientific knowledge and expertise in the federal government on the impacts of toxic substances on wildlife and on the use of wildlife as indicators of environmental quality and ecosystem health.
National Wildlife Toxicology Program
The National Wildlife Toxicology Program has been in operation since the late 1960s. It focuses on migratory birds, with some attention to amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and plants. It considers all aspects of wildlife health, from the molecular level to the ecosystem level.
The program aims to establish cause-effect relationships for toxic substances and wildlife, to identify toxic substances (i.e., chemicals and micro-organisms) in the environment and their sources, to develop and apply assessment methodology including modelling and test methods, and to select indicators of environmental quality and health of wildlife.
This information is used to build science-based cases for regulation and other interventions to control the contaminants that are causing concern. The intent is to prevent or redress the perceived or real harm attributed to these contaminants. We also use this information to assess the effectiveness of the interventions and the need for further corrective measures.
For this reason, we rely on the research and monitoring from other wildlife programs to identify wildlife that are in unhealthy states, especially those whose populations are in decline. The Wildlife Toxicology Program also undertakes special studies to predict and detect potential harm from toxic substances using approaches that are not covered by other research programs.
The division and regional staff assess the impacts of toxic substances in a number of ways. Their work includes conducting expert review of available data, carrying out research and monitoring, conducting evaluation studies, and undertaking advisory activities.
Division staff also ensure that the goals and activities of the National Wildlife Toxicology Program correspond with those of other programs operated by Environment Canada and other federal departments and organizations.
Find out more about the activities of the Wildlife Toxicology Division:
