Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act (Eastern Wolf)

A review of the potential environmental impacts of amendments to the list of species at risk under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) as published in the Canada Gazette.

The Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act (Eastern Wolf) (the Order) supports the Eastern Wolf by uplisting it from a species of special concern to a threatened species on Schedule 1 of SARA. The objective of the Order is to support the species so it can recover. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) reassesses species every 10 years, which is one of the ways to monitor the health of the species.  Monitoring will also be done through the recovery plans or management plans to be developed for the species and reassessed every 5 years.

The SARA provides protections for species at risk by:

• preventing wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct
• providing for the recovery of wildlife species that are extirpated, endangered or threatened as a result of human activity
• managing species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened

Species can be added to the list of species at risk (Schedule 1 of SARA) under various designations depending on the severity of the risk of disappearance from the wild in Canada. Following listing, species designated as endangered, threatened or extirpated benefit from SARA’s general prohibitions, including protections against the killing, harming or harassing and against damaging or destroying their residences (i.e., nests, burrows, etc.). SARA also requires recovery planning efforts to address threats to the survival or recovery of the listed species, in the form of recovery strategies or action plans.

A special concern status in Schedule 1 of SARA does not trigger the general prohibitions but requires a management plan be developed. This plan includes conservation measures to preserve the wildlife species and avoid a future decline of its populations.

Table 1: Modification to Schedule 1 of SARA

Common species name	Range	Listing
		Action	Old status	New status
Eastern Wolf	ON, QC	Reclassification	Special Concern	Threatened

The strategic environmental assessment concluded that the Order results in important positive environmental effects for the Eastern Wolf and its respective ecosystems. Specifically, it demonstrated that the protection of this wildlife species contributes to national biodiversity and protects ecosystem productivity, health and resiliency.

The economic impact of making this modification has been assessed and it was determined that prohibitions on federal lands will have a low socio-economic impact. The Eastern Wolf is considered a keystone species, and uplisting the species will preserve its socio-economic and cultural value for Indigenous peoples, as well as provide benefits such as nutrient cycling, animal population control, and scientific and existence value.

The Order supports the 2022-2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) goal 15 “Protect and recover species, conserve Canadian biodiversity”, and would support the Government of Canada’s priority, as stated in the FSDS, of “enhancing the implementation of the Species at Risk Act”. The Order moreover contributes to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15 “Life on Land” of the United Nation’s Agenda 2030 to halt biodiversity loss, protect biodiversity and natural habitat by preventing the extinction of threatened species. It also supports the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the overarching global goal regarding the “sustainable use and management of biodiversity to ensure that nature’s contributions to people are valued, maintained, and enhanced”.

By supporting the conservation of biodiversity, and maintenance of healthy ecosystems, the Order indirectly contributes to the 2022-2026 FSDS goal 13 “Take action on climate change and its impacts” and the associated UN SDG 13 “Climate Action”, because the conservation of the ecosystems required to protect the Eastern Wolf play a key role in mitigating climate change impacts. Forests, peatlands and other habitats are major stores of carbon. Protecting and supporting conservation of ecosystems may also help limit atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations.