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Meter CalculationTrend in strictly protected areas between 1992 and 2001.
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Context
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, refers to the variability among living organisms. It includes diversity within species (genetic diversity), between species (species diversity), and of ecosystems (ecosystem diversity). Biodiversity is important for its intrinsic value, but also for the priceless ecosystem services that it provides, such as clean water, clean air, maintenance of critical nutrient cycles, flood control, pest control, pollination of crops, compounds for new medicines, and seeds for new crops.
Canada is home to about 71 500 known species of wild animals, plants, and other organisms, and an estimated 66 000 species may yet be discovered. Canada is also steward of many globally important ecosystems on which species depend, such as 25% of the world's wetlands and boreal forests. Human well-being is tightly linked to the biodiversity on which all life depends. Loss of species or change in species composition can threaten ecosystem health and pose risks to economic and sociocultural sustainability.
Indicators
The amount of strictly protected area in Canada has increased from over 36 million hectares in 1992 to over 61 million hectares in 2001. Protected areas have emerged as a key tool in efforts to preserve biodiversity. Although significant progress has been made since 1992, there is still much work to be done. Currently, just over 6% of Canada's land is considered strictly protected under the World Conservation Union's classification system (IUCN I-III), and just over 10% has some level ofpr otection (IUCN I-VI). Fourteen of Canada's protected areas are very large - greater than 10 000 square kilometres (e.g., the 38 006-square-kilometre Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island which was established in 1999. However, 64% are smaller than 10 square kilometres. Small protected areas have a role to play in a protected areas network, often providing critical habitat for rare species requiring specialized habitats. However, many of Canada's large mammals need large home ranges (e.g., 150-250 square kilometres for Canada lynx and over 175 square kilometres for wolverine). Of the 194 terrestrial ecoregions of Canada, 113 have some strictly protected area, leaving 81 ecoregions with little or no protection.
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has been identifying and monitoring Canadian species at risk since it was established in 1978. As of May 2002, 402 Canadian species were listed as being at risk. COSEWIC has assessed the status of many species on the list more than once. During the period 1985-2002, the status of half of the reassessed species remained unchanged, a third deteriorated, and 16% improved. The places in Canada with the most endangered or threatened species are those where humans have had the greatest impact on the environment.
As a result of commitments made in the 1996 Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk, the federal government and the provinces and territories have begun to Data source: Canadian Council on Ecological Areas Database; Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada. assess the status of all species in Canada across their Canadian range. The broader assessment of all species provides a complement and context for COSEWIC's listings of species at risk.
Notes:
1. The data are based on status reassessments conducted by COSEWIC.
Re-assessments based on existing status reports only were not included.
These were re-evaluated using new IUCN criteria and not based on any
new information.
2. Some downlistings and delistings were as a result of new information
gathered rather than a change in the status of the species.
3. Species reassessments that result in splitting a species into smaller units
(i.e. populations) are considered new assessments.
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Actions
Canada has participated in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since its inception in 1975. Canada ratified the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 and went on in 1996 to complete the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy as a guide for implementing the Convention in Canada. Four priorities for the implementation of the strategy are science, monitoring, invasive alien species, and stewardship. An essential element of promoting biodiversity is the protection of vulnerable species and their habitats. Implementation of the National Strategy for Species at Risk requires further advancement of three components: the 1996 Federal-Provincial-Territorial Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk, the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA), and the Habitat Stewardship Program. Ratified in 2002, SARA protects wildlife species listed as being "at risk" nationally as well as their critical habitats. The continued construction of the Canadian Biodiversity Information Network will assist in bringing together biodiversity information from a wide variety of sources and will highlight the need for accurate species inventories in Canada. The Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife (RENEW) program is a federal-provincial-territorial program that provides for the development of recovery plans for species at risk. Of 118 endangered, 94 threatened, and 17 extirpated species on the November 2001 COSEWIC list, 83 have recovery teams in place, 14 have final recovery plans or strategies, 68 have recovery plans or strategies in development, 85 have species specific recovery work underway, and 42 are included in ecosystem recovery efforts. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) is an international action plan between Canada, the United States (1986), and Mexico (1994) to conserve migratory birds throughout the continent. The Plan's goal is to restore the waterfowl populations to 1970s levels by conserving wetland and upland habitat.
Linkages
Loss of habitat has been identified as the key threat to biodiversity in Canada. However, other threats also play a role. All of the environmental stresses that affect human and ecosystem health, such as acid rain, water and air pollution, severe weather events, and climate change, also place biodiversity at risk. Habitat is threatened directly by some industrial activity, conversion of wildlands to other uses, and secondary effects of road access.
Challenges
Canada does not have a reliable baseline against which to measure habitat loss. The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy has identified a need to track changes in land use and land cover in Canada - a large and daunting task that would involve many agencies and levels of government. More scientific knowledge is needed about the impacts of human activities on ecosystem processes and particularly the thresholds beyond which ecosystems lose their ability to provide essential ecosystem services. Little is known about most of Canada's species. In many cases, the status of species is at best an educated guess. A better inventory of the ranges of species, as well as their population sizes and trends, would help in creating a reliable assessment ofthe status of biodiversity in Canada. Biodiversity is a complex issue that requires a broad knowledge of ecological systems to be fully understood. Better tools are needed to provide a clear picture of biodiversity for the general public and non-technical policy-making audience. Finally, the information on which assessments of biodiversity are based is dispersed around the country, in academic, government, and industry databases. Easy and open access to this information would provide a variety of Canadians with the ability to assess biodiversity around the country.
Websites of interest
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