Definitions and Abbreviations

Reviewed and approved by COSEWIC in April 2006

Alien Species: any species that does not qualify as a Canadian native species.

Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge: ATK includes but is not limited to the knowledge Aboriginal Peoples have accumulated about wildlife species and their environment. Much of this knowledge has accumulated over many generations.

Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Subcommittee: A permanent COSEWIC subcommittee that facilitates access to the best available Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge and the incorporation of that knowledge into the COSEWIC species status assessment and classification processes.

Allee Effect: Positive density-dependence in population growth rate that may occur at low density. If there is a density threshold below which population growth rate becomes negative, the Allee effect can lead to extinction. It can be due to many causes, including increased predation risk, difficulties in finding a mate, inbreeding, or lowered efficiency in obtaining food, raising young or obtaining shelter when group size is small.

Area of Occupancy: the area within 'extent of occurrence' that is occupied by a taxon, excluding cases of vagrancy. The measure reflects the fact that the extent of occurrence may contain unsuitable or unoccupied habitats. In some cases (e.g. irreplaceable colonial nesting sites, crucial feeding sites for migratory taxa) the area of occupancy is the smallest area essential at any stage to the survival of existing populations of a taxon (in such cases, this area of occupancy does not need to occur within Canada). The size of the area of occupancy will be a function of the scale at which it is measured, and should be at a scale appropriate to relevant biological aspects of the taxon, the nature of threats and the available data. To avoid inconsistencies and bias in assessments caused by estimating area of occupancy at different scales, it may be necessary to standardize estimates by applying a scale-correction factor. Different types of taxa have different scale-area relationships. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001.)

Assessment Criteria: quantitative criteria used by COSEWIC to guide status assessments. These criteria are adapted from the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria V 3.1, 2001.

Best Available Information: all existing information that is pertinent to assessing the status of a species, including scientific knowledge, community knowledge and Aboriginal traditional knowledge, that has been subjected to appropriate quality controls and can be obtained from literature sources or from the holders of the information. Information that is not in the literature, that is kept secret by its holders, or that cannot be located following a reasonably diligent search, cannot be included in reports.

Canadian Species at Risk: a publication produced by the COSEWIC Secretariat following each species assessment meeting. It includes all species assessed by COSEWIC, with their status designations and the history of their evaluations.

Candidate List: a list of species not currently in a COSEWIC at-risk category that have been identified by Species Specialist Subcommittees or by the ATK Subcommittee as candidates for detailed status assessment based on information suggesting they may be at risk. The Candidate List can thus include species in the Not at Risk or Data Deficient categories or species not yet assessed by COSEWIC. They are grouped into three priority levels based on the perceived level of risk: high, intermediate, or low.

Candidate Species: species not yet assessed by COSEWIC that have been identified by Species Specialist Subcommittees or by the ATK Subcommittee as candidates for detailed status assessment based on information suggesting a potential to be at risk. They are grouped into three priority levels based on the expected level of risk relative to other candidate species: high, intermediate, or low.

CDC: Conservation Data Centre. In some provinces it is also referred to as Natural Heritage Information Centre

CESCC: The Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council consists of federal, provincial and territorial ministers who are responsible for the conservation and management of wildlife species in that province or territory.

CITES: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species regulates the international trade of endangered species. Species are listed in three Appendices with decreasing levels of regulation. No international trade is permitted for species in Appendix I. Canada is a signatory to CITES and must abide by its regulations. (Internet address: http://www.cites.ec.gc.ca)

Continuing Decline: a recent, current or projected future decline (which may be smooth, irregular or sporadic) that is liable to continue unless remedial measures are taken. Fluctuations will not normally count as continuing declines, but an observed decline should not be considered as a fluctuation unless there is evidence for this. (Source: IUCN 2001)

COSEWIC: Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

CWDC: The Canadian Wildlife Directors Committee, made up of the Directors of provincial and federal agencies responsible for wildlife conservation.

CWS: Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada.

Data Deficient (DD): A category that applies when the available information is insufficient (a) to resolve a wildlife species' eligibility for assessment or (b) to permit an assessment of the wildlife species' risk of extinction.

Demographic Stochasticity: Random variation in demographic variables, such as birth rates and death rates, sex ratio and dispersal, for which some individuals in a population are negatively affected but not others. In small populations, these random events increase the risk of extinction.

Designatable Unit (DU): subspecies, variety, or geographically or genetically distinct population that may be recognized by COSEWIC where a single status designation for a species is not sufficient to accurately portray probabilities of extinction within the species.

DFO: the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Endangered (E): a wildlife species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Endemic: a species native to, and restricted to, a particular geographical region.

Environmental Stochasticity: Random variation in physical environmental variables, such as temperature, water flow, and rainfall, which affect all individuals in a population to a similar degree. In small populations, these random events increase the risk of extinction.

Extent of Occurrence: the area included in a polygon without concave angles that encompasses the geographic distribution of all known populations of a species (Source: Adapted from IUCN 2001).

Extinct (X): a wildlife species that no longer exists.

Extirpated (XT): a wildlife species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.

Extreme fluctuation: changes in distribution or in the total number of mature individuals of a wildlife species (designatable unit) that occur rapidly and frequently, and are typically of more than one order of magnitude. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001)

Federal Biodiversity Information Partnership (FBIP): a collaborative endeavour of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, the Canadian Museum of Nature, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada, Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Parks Canada and Natural Resources Canada to ensure that the importance of biosystematics is recognized, emphasized and supported and that biosystematics is used effectively in Canada. (formerly known as Federal Biosystematics Partnership)

Generation: Generation length is the average age of parents of a cohort (i.e. newborn individuals in the population). Generation length therefore reflects the turnover rate of breeding individuals in a population. Generation length is greater than the age at first breeding and less than the age of the oldest breeding individual, except in taxa that breed only once. Where generation length varies under threat, the more natural, i.e. pre-disturbance, generation length should be used. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001)

Genetic Drift: Random change of allele frequencies, within and among populations of a species, due to chance (stochasticity). Drift occurs more rapidly in smaller populations, and may result in loss or fixation of alternative alleles in different populations of a species.

Imminent Extirpation or Extinction: A 20% or greater probability of extinction or extirpation within 20 years or 5 generations (up to a maximum of 100 years), whichever is longer, according to COSEWIC's criteria.

IUCN: World Conservation Union (formerly known as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature). An umbrella conservation organization whose members are governments, government departments, and non-governmental organizations.

Location/Site: a geographically distinct area where a group of individuals of a species is (or has been) found. The total population of a species may comprise a number of sites. Dispersal between sites is impossible or very rare. A single threatening event can rapidly affect all individuals in a site. Where a taxon is affected by more than one threatening event, location should be defined by considering the most serious plausible threat. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001)

Mature Individuals (Number of): The number of mature individuals is the number of individuals known, estimated or inferred to be capable of reproduction. When estimating this quantity, the following points should be borne in mind:

• Mature individuals that will never produce new recruits should not be counted (e.g. densities are too low for fertilization).

• In the case of populations with biased adult or breeding sex ratios, it is appropriate to use lower estimates for the number of mature individuals that take this into account.

• Where the population size fluctuates, use a lower estimate. In most cases this will be much less than the mean.

• Reproducing units within a clone should be counted as individuals, except where such units are unable to survive alone (e.g. corals).

• In the case of taxa that naturally lose all or a subset of mature individuals at some point in their life cycle, the estimate should be made at the appropriate time, when mature individuals are available for breeding.

• Re-introduced individuals must have produced viable offspring before they are counted as mature individuals. (Source: IUCN 2001)

NACOSAR: The National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk, established by the Species at Risk Act (SARA, section 8.1) to advise the Minister of the Environment and CESCC on the administration of SARA.

Native Species: a wild species that occurs in Canada naturally, or that has expanded its range into Canada without human intervention from a region where it naturally occurred, has produced viable populations, and has persisted in Canada for at least 50 years.

Non-government science member: one of three COSEWIC members who is an expert in wildlife conservation but not a federal, provincial or territorial government employee. University professors are not considered government employees.

Not at Risk (NAR): a wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given the current circumstances.

Observer: a person who asks and receives permission to be present at, or who has been invited to, all or part of COSEWIC's deliberations.

Population: A geographically or otherwise distinct group within a species that has little demographic or genetic exchange with other such groups. Theoretically, populations maintain genetic distinction if there is typically less than one successful breeding immigrant individual or gamete per generation. Equivalent to the term "subpopulation" as employed by the IUCN. (adapted from IUCN 2001)

Quantitative Analysis: An estimate of the extinction probability of a taxon based on known life history, habitat requirements, threats and any specified management options. Population viability analysis (PVA) is one such technique. Quantitative analyses should make full use of all relevant available data. If there is limited information, available data can be used to provide an estimate of extinction risk (for instance, estimating the impact of stochastic events on habitat). In presenting the quantitative analyses, the assumptions, the data used and the uncertainty in the data or quantitative model must all be documented. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001)

Range Jurisdiction: A government responsible for exercising official legislative authority in the geographical area where a native species occurs or formerly occurred (e.g., provincial and territorial governments, Wildlife Management Boards, federal government departments).

Reduction: A reduction is a decline in the number of mature individuals of at least the amount (%) stated under COSEWIC criterion A over the time period (years) specified, although the decline need not be continuing. A reduction should not be interpreted as part of a fluctuation unless there is reasonable evidence for this. The downward phase of a fluctuation will not normally count as a reduction. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001)

Rescue Effect: Immigration of gametes or individuals that have a high probability of reproducing successfully, such that extirpation or decline of a population, or some other Designatable Unit, can be mitigated. If the potential for rescue is high, the risk of extirpation may be reduced.

Responsible Jurisdictions: government body responsible for exercising official legislative authority in support of the conservation and management of a native species in the geographical area in which the species occurs or formerly occurred (e.g., provincial and territorial governments, Wildlife Management Boards, federal government departments).

Severely Fragmented: a situation where most individuals are found in small and relatively isolated populations (in certain circumstances this may be inferred from habitat information). Severe fragmentation results in a reduced probability of recolonization of habitat patches where populations go extinct, which increases extinction risk for the species. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001)

Special Concern (SC): a wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

Species Specialist Subcommittee (SSC): one of the nine permanent COSEWIC subcommittees of specialists responsible for preparing, reviewing, and submitting status reports on species of a particular taxonomic group and, in the cases of mammals and fishes, geographic region.

Species Expert (COSEWIC): a species expert is a person who has a high level of scientific, traditional or local knowledge of a taxonomic group or geographical area and meets the requirements specified in the Qualifications for COSEWIC Membership.

Status Assessment: the act of assessing the risk of extinction or extirpation from Canada, and assigning the species to a risk category, if appropriate.

Status Report: a comprehensive technical report that compiles and analyzes the best available information on a species' status in Canada and indicates the threats to that species (See also Update Status Report)

Threatened (T): a wildlife species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Total Population: the total number of mature individuals of a wildlife species in Canada. Equivalent to the term "population" as employed by IUCN. (Source: adapted from IUCN 2001)

Update Status Report: a technical report comprehensively updating a previous COSEWIC Status Report and including the best available information relevant to the assessment of the species' status garnered since the last Status Report was produced.

Vagrant: a species whose geographical range is outside Canadian jurisdiction and that has never established a viable population in Canada, but may occasionally be recorded in Canada.

Wildlife species: a species, subspecies, variety or geographically or genetically distinct population of animal, plant or other organism, other than a bacterium or virus, that is wild by nature and is either native to Canada or has extended its range into Canada without human intervention and has been present in Canada for at least 50 years.

Reference

IUCN 2001. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. IUCN Species Survival Commission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K. Available at http://www.redlist.org/