The Species at Risk Act in Ontario

The Species at Risk Act in Ontario

Table of Contents

Wetlands provide essential habitat for many species at risk, yet a majority of these fragile ecosystems has been lost or severely degraded in Ontario / Eric Dresser

Implementing the Species at Risk Act in Ontario

The purpose of the Species at Risk Act is to prevent wildlife species from becoming extinct or extirpated (lost from the wild in Canada), to secure the recovery of extirpated, endangered and threatened species that are included on SARA’s List of Wildlife Species at Risk, and to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened. SARA applies across Canada and covers all wildlife species at risk nationally, including aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals, and their critical habitats.

The Government of Canada’s strategy to conserve and enhance wildlife reflects the different roles and the vital need for shared responsibility, coordination and partnerships among all levels of government, Aboriginal peoples, ranchers, farmers, conservation groups, fishing interests, the resource extraction industry, and individual Canadians.

The Least Bittern population in Canada is estimated to be less than 1,000 pairs / Robert McCaw

The three-part federal strategy involves:

• building on the national Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk
• complementary stewardship programs
• the Species at Risk Act (SARA)

Ecologically, Ontario is a diverse region, consisting of 17 ecoregions. Within these ecoregions are numerous ecosystems that provide specific habitats needed by particular species at risk. The Frontenac Axis, Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe, the St. Lawrence Lowlands, and the Lake Erie Lowlands have significant numbers of species at risk.

Click here to see a map of the richness of species in Ontario

Predominant natural ecosystems that are threatened in Ontario are forests, grasslands, wetlands, and the Great Lakes. The Lake Erie Lowlands – although relatively small in area – represents the southernmost part of Canada and is perhaps the single most species-rich region in the country. Approximately one third of the country’s species included under SARA at the time of Proclamation (June 2003) are found here.

The King Rail is an endangered species that relies on wetland habitat. Only 25 to 50 pairs remain in Canada / Jim Rathert, USFWS

Ontario has the most concentrated human population in Canada, resulting in various and often significant impacts on the landscape and the wildlife inhabitants. Though the majority of populations of species at risk are found on privately owned lands, federal lands (including First Nations lands) currently provide habitat for individuals of nearly two-thirds of the species at risk found in Ontario.

Found on the north shore of Lake Erie, Long Point is the most undisturbed and complex of the Great Lakes sand spits. Nearly 4,000 hectares of beach, sand dunes, forests, savannas and wetlands provide essential habitat for many species of local and global rarity / Aerial photo: Tim Hagen; Beach photo: Canadian Wildlife Service

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Based on the species assessments conducted by COSEWIC in November 2003, 162 species are listed for Ontario in the following categories: extirpated (10 species) endangered (61) threatened (42) special concern (49) Found along the shoreline of Lake Erie in southern Ontario, the Fowler’s Toad is very rare in Canada / John Mitchell Steps to Recovery The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assesses the status of species before they are considered for inclusion on SARA’s List of Wildlife Species at Risk, which currently includes 95 COSEWIC listed species for this province. There are differences in the number of species listed by COSEWIC and the numbers included on SARA’s List of Wildlife Species at Risk because of the process required to add a COSEWIC listed species to SARA’s List as of November 2003. Approximately two-thirds of the species at risk found in Ontario are found nowhere else in Canada. Many of these species are at the northern limit of their continental range, with the majority of existing populations found in the United States. Though some of these species may be less at risk in the United States, northern range populations often prove to be genetically important, particularly in terms of their adaptation to northern habitats. The Canadian government is working with the United States government to ensure that recovery efforts on both sides of the border are complementary, whenever and wherever possible. In southern Ontario, large numbers of species at risk are concentrated in small areas that have diverse ecosystems such as Walpole Island First Nation (tallgrass prairie, oak savanna, Carolinian forest, streams, coastal waters and wetlands) and Point Pelee National Park (savannas, dunes, Carolinian forest, coastal waters and wetlands). A volunteer conducts an inventory of species at risk on Walpole Island, home to about 20 percent of Canada’s threatened species / Canadian Wildlife Service Inventories are being compiled of all federal lands in Ontario, including migratory bird sanctuaries, national wildlife areas, national parks, military properties, First Nations, and other lands. This exercise will be followed by biological inventories to confirm or determine the presence of both habitat for species at risk and the plants or animals themselves. As well, Environment Canada is developing critical habitat models for a number of endangered and threatened migratory bird species found exclusively or primarily in Ontario. SARA will protect the species and the habitat critical for their survival or their recovery. Similarly, surveys of provincial lands and privately owned lands undertaken by the provincial government will determine which species at risk are protected by provincial legislation.

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Partners in Stewardship

Partnerships with several national, regional and local non-government organizations, First Nations, Conservation Authorities and the provincial government have been established to assist with stewardship activities directed at species at risk, their habitats and priority ecosystems.

Flooding an unused road in the Holiday Beach Conservation Area (Essex County) created the nesting habitat required by the Prothonotary Warbler / Phil Roberts

The Prothonotary Warbler is one of Canada’s rarest birds / Robert McCaw

Each year, the federal Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk (HSP) provides approximately $2 million in financial support to partners in recovery in Ontario. This funding is matched (financially or “in-kind”) by recipient organizations to a value that exceeds the funding received. HSP projects aim to protect habitat and contribute to the recovery of species at risk by supporting the implementation of priority activities outlined in recovery strategies or recovery action plans. Stewardship activities by landowners and land managers include habitat improvement, habitat restoration, outreach and communication, and land securement.

In Ontario, the HSP has contributed funding to an average of 15 to 20 projects every year that are led by partners. On average, the projects benefit some 75 species at risk. Increasingly, projects focus on stewardship of particular ecosystems for the benefit of localized species at risk and any associated species.

Federal Recovery Strategy Development

In cooperation with farmers, volunteers build outdoor aviaries on suitable pastureland for the Eastern Loggerhead Shrike, an endangered species. Within the aviary, captive breeding pairs safely raise their young for release into the wild / Canadian Wildlife Service

Eastern Loggerhead Shrike / Robert McCaw

The federal government agencies responsible for SARA are Environment Canada (including the Parks Canada Agency) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Environment Canada is responsible for the administration of SARA on behalf of the federal government. The department is primarily responsible for migratory bird species at risk and terrestrial species at risk found on federal lands, plus any species for which there is no provincial protection, or for which existing provincial protection has been determined to be inadequate. Parks Canada Agency is responsible for species at risk in national parks, national historic sites and other national protected heritage areas. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is responsible for aquatic and marine species at risk.

The Dense Blazing Star, a beautiful perennial herb that grows up to 1.5 metres high, is found mostly in grassland habitats of south-western Ontario / P. Allen Woodliffe

In addition, Environment Canada is responsible for species at risk found on federal lands that are First Nations lands. Under SARA, recovery strategies and management plans are required to recognize the importance of aboriginal traditional knowledge in the recovery process, and to consider socio-economic impacts related to the protection and recovery of species at risk.

For species listed in SARA, timelines are identified for the required production of recovery strategies and recovery action plans (for extirpated, endangered and threatened species) and of management plans (for species of special concern). For species that were listed in SARA at the time of Proclamation (June 2003), recovery strategies for endangered species must be posted on the SARA Registry Web site within three years, within four years for extirpated and threatened species, and within five years for species of special concern. For species listed in SARA after June 2003, the timelines for posting recovery strategies are one year for endangered species, two years for extirpated and threatened species, and three years for species of special concern.

Report Sightings of Species at Risk in Ontario Please call Environment Canada’s toll-free telephone number: 1-866-833-8888

The departments, ministries, and agencies of the federal and provincial governments that have been tasked with recovery have developed a Recovery Operations Manual (ROMAN), which guides the development of the required strategies and plans. The development of such strategies involves the input of various representatives from government and non-government organizations and, increasingly, includes stakeholders and private landowners.

Draft or final recovery strategies are currently in place for almost half of the species at risk found in Ontario. Recovery activities are underway for the majority of the species for which there is a draft or final recovery strategy. In Ontario, recovery strategies are developed either for a number of species that share a particular ecosystem or for a particular ecosystem that provides habitat for a number of species at risk. Currently, ecosystem recovery activities have been established for the river systems of the Ausable, Grand, Sydenham, and Thames, for tallgrass prairie, for Lake Erie sand spit savannas, for Lake Huron coastal dunes, and for Walpole Island First Nation.

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Federal-Provincial Cooperation The federal government and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources have initiated discussions toward the development of a bilateral agreement that will reflect the responsibilities of the parties to implement the national Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk. The agreement will establish the intent of the parties to work together to achieve the recovery of extirpated, endangered and threatened species; the identification and protection of habitat that is critical to the survival of these species; and to work together to achieve recovery of species of special concern. Volunteers plant vegetation along the banks of Medway Creek (Middlesex Country) to reduce erosion and improve water quality for aquatic species / Upper Thames River Conservation Authority The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is a member of the federally led Regional Implementation Board (Ontario), which recommends projects for HSP funding. It also coordinates with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in recovery efforts for major watersheds in Ontario. Regional offices of the three federal departments are also working with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources on a habitat mapping project, which includes sharing mapping and species occurrence data. The Piping Plover nests on beaches, where the eggs and young are often vulnerable to predators. Researchers are experimenting with exclosure cages to protect this endangered bird / Mark Peck These activities effectively bring together the federal and provincial governments, both of which are committed to the recovery of particular ecosystems and the species that inhabit them. All federal and provincial departments also work closely with non-government organizations to recover species at risk.

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Relationship with Aboriginal Peoples

Oak Savanna, an important habitat for species at risk, is characterized by a variety of oak trees and prairie grassland vegetation / Walpole Island Heritage Centre

SARA identifies the responsibility of Environment Canada to work with aboriginal peoples to identify the presence of species at risk, and to participate in the maintenance or recovery of those populations. Environment Canada is working toward a Conservation Agreement with Walpole Island First Nation for such an undertaking and has initiated related discussions with other First Nations.

Conservation Agreements with First Nations are being initiated on a prioritized basis that considers the actual or potential presence of species at risk and the apparent presence of suitable habitat for such species.

Community volunteers at Walpole Island First Nation assist in seed collection to enhance rare Tallgrass Prairie ecosystems / Canadian Wildlife Service

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Parks Canada Agency are working with several First Nations on recovery efforts for aquatic species at risk. Additionally, a number of First Nations in the province are, or have been, involved in stewardship activities for species at risk as partners in the HSP initiative.

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Ontario Contacts

Environment Canada
For species at risk program, habitat stewardship, recovery and species inquiries:
Madeline Austen
Tel: (416) 739-4214
E-mail: Madeline.Austen@ec.gc.ca

Parks Canada Agency
For species at risk program, habitat stewardship, recovery and species inquiries:
Brian Hutchinson
Tel: (613) 998-9880
E-mail: Brian.Hutchinson@pc.gc.ca

Department of Fisheries and Oceans
For species at risk program inquiries:
Ray Ratynski
Tel: (204) 983-4438
E-mail: Ratynskir@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

For habitat stewardship inquiries:
Thom Heiman
Tel: (905) 336-6472
E-mail: Heimant@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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Internet Resources

Species At Risk Act Public Registry

www.sararegistry.gc.ca

Canada’s Web site for information, documents and public comments on species at risk.

Species at Risk in Ontario

www.on.ec.gc.ca/speciesatrisk

Species at Risk in Canada

www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca

Parks Canada Species at Risk

www.pc.gc.ca/nature/eep-sar/

In Canada, the Climbing Prairie Rose occurs only around Lake Erie, supported by a long growing season and moderate climate / Canadian Wildlife Service

Fisheries and Oceans and Species at Risk

www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas/species-especes/index_e.htm

To order printed copies of this or any other fact sheet, contact:

Environment Canada
Canadian Wildlife Service
4905 Dufferin Street
Downsview, ON M3H 5T4
Tel: 416 739-5830  Fax: 416-739-5845
E-mail: Wildlife.Ontario@ec.gc.ca

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