Glossary of Terms
Accord for the protection of Species at Risk: an agreement among all provinces, territories and three federal departments to commit to a national approach for species at risk.
Action plan: an action plan is a document that defines the projects or activities required to meet the goals and objectives outlined in the recovery strategy for a wildlife species.
Administrative agreement: allows for the administration of any provision in the Act, in which the competent minister has responsibility.
Alternative measures agreement: allows for the provision of alternative measures to deal with persons alleged to have committed offences, but only if it is consistent with the purposes of the Act.
Aquatic species: a wildlife species that is a fish as defined in section 2 of the Fisheries Act, or a marine plant as defined in section 47 of the Act.
Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council (CESCC): a council that consists of the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and ministers of the government of a province or territory who are responsible for the conservation and management of a wildlife species in that province or territory.
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC): is a committee of experts that assesses and designates which wild species are in some danger of disappearing from Canada.
- a) the Minister responsible for the Parks Canada Agency with respect to individuals in or on federal lands administered by that Agency;
- b) the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans with respect to aquatic species, other than individuals mentioned in paragraph (a); and
- c) the Minister of the Environment with respect to all other individuals.
Critical habitat: the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as the species critical habitat in the recovery strategy or in an action plan for the species.
CWS: Canadian Wildlife Service.
Delegation of authority agreement: allows the minister to delegate any of that ministers powers or functions under the Act, relating to its enforcement.
DFO: Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
EC: Environment Canada.
ESRF: Endangered Species Recovery Fund.
Endangered species: a wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.
Extended Consultation: when it has been decided that adequate consultations cannot be conducted within the timelines prescribed in SARA the species assessment undergoes a period of extended consultation before it is forwarded to the Governor in Council (Cabinet). After a species assessment is forwarded to Cabinet a listing decision must be made within 9 months.
Extinct species: a wildlife species that no longer exists.
Extirpated species: a wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere in the wild.
Federal land: includes any land owned by the federal government, the internal waters and territorial sea of Canada, and reserves and other land set apart for the use and benefit of a band under the Indian Act.
HSP: Habitat Stewardship Program.
Individual: includes an individual of a wildlife species, whether living or dead, at any developmental stage and includes larvae, embryos, eggs, sperm, seeds, pollen, spores and asexual propagules.
IRF: Interdepartmental Recovery Fund.
Lead jurisdiction: a federal, provincial or territorial agency with primary responsibility for leading development of a response statement or a recovery strategy, or with leading recovery for a species, when there are other responsible jurisdictions involved.
List: the List of Wildlife Species at Risk set out in Schedule 1.
Management plan: a management plan is a document that sets goals and objectives for maintaining sustainable population levels of one or more species that are particularly sensitive to environmental factors, but which are not in danger of becoming extinct.
Minister: Minister of the Environment.
National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk: the National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk consists of the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and six representatives of the aboriginal peoples of Canada selected by the Minister based upon recommendations from aboriginal organizations that the Minister considers appropriate.
Order: an order is instructions, decisions or directions given by the Minister or Governor in Council which are authorized by legislation.
PCA: Parks Canada Agency.
Provincial minister: any minister of the government of a province who is responsible for the conservation and management of a wildlife species in that province.
RAG: a Recovery Action Group, is a group of people working on specific actions or projects under the umbrella of a national recovery team.
Recovery strategy: a recovery strategy is a document that outlines the long-term goals and short-term objectives for recovering a species at risk, based on the best available scientific baseline information.
Regulation: a regulation is a rule that indicates how a statute is to be enforced.
RENEW: the Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife is the national recovery program initiated in 1988 by the Wildlife Ministers Council of Canada.
Residence: the specific dwelling place, such as a den, nest or other similar area or a place that is occupied or habitually occupied by one or more individuals during all or part of their life cycles, including breeding, rearing, staging, wintering, feeding, or hibernating.
Response Statements: a statement which indicates how the Minister of the Environment intends to respond to a species assessment that he or she has received from COSEWIC. It must appear on the Public Registry within 90 days of receipt of the assessment, and indicates whether the species will undergo normal or extended consultation. Under normal consultations a species assessment is immediately forwarded to Cabinet and a listing decision must be made within 9 months.
Responsible jurisdiction: a federal, provincial or territorial agency with responsibility for a species or its habitat.
SARA: Species at Risk Act.
Schedule 1: is the official list of species that are classified as extirpated, endangered, threatened, and of special concern.
Schedule 2: species listed in Schedule 2 are species that had been designated as endangered or threatened, and have yet to be re-assessed by COSEWIC using revised criteria. Once these species have been re-assessed, they may be considered for inclusion in Schedule 1.
Schedule 3: species listed in Schedule 3 are species that had been designated as special concern, and have yet to be re-assessed by COSEWIC using revised criteria. Once these species have been re-assessed, they may be considered for inclusion in Schedule 1.
Special concern species: a wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.
Species at risk: an extirpated, endangered, threatened species, or a species of special concern.
Status report: a report containing a summary of the best available information on the status of a wildlife species, including scientific knowledge, community knowledge and aboriginal traditional knowledge.
Territorial minister: any minister of the government of a territory who is responsible for the conservation and management of a wildlife species in that territory.
Threatened species: a wildlife species that is likely to become endangered if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction.
Wildlife management board: any board or other body established under a land claims agreement that is authorised by the agreement to perform functions in respect of wildlife species.
Wildlife species: a species, subspecies or biologically distinct population of animal, plant or other organism, other than a bacterium or virus, that is wild by nature and native to Canada or has been present in Canada without human intervention for at least 50 years.
