Species at risk public registry
In this registry you will find documents relating to the administration of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The act is part of Canada’s strategy to protect hundreds of wild plants and animal species from becoming extinct, and to help in their recovery. Please visit the species at risk sub-topic page to read more about species at risk and the act, the accord and the funding program, and visit our education centre. Help navigating the Species at Risk Public Registry.
Species
Species
Search species list by range, taxonomy group, risk category or schedule.
Schedule 1 - List of wildlife species at Risk
Access the official lists of wildlife species at risk (schedules 1, 2 and 3).
Species listing process under the Species at Risk Act
Species at Risk Act (SARA) instruments
The following sections provide information relating to SARA instruments and the implementation of the Act.
- Regulations
- Orders
- Permits and agreements
- Policies and guidelines
- Round table reports and Minister's response
- Environmental Assessment Best Practice Guide for Wildlife at Risk in Canada
- Species at Risk Program: Results-Based Management and Accountability Framework and Risk-Based Audit Framework
Parliamentary review
Section 129 of the Species at Risk Act requires Parliament to review the Act five years after that section comes into force.
Status reports
Status reports
Recovery
Recovery strategies
A recovery strategy is a planning document that identifies what needs to be done to stop or reverse the decline of a species.
Action plans
Action plans identify the measures to take to implement the recovery strategy for threatened, endangered and extirpated species.
Management plans
Management plans include measures for the conservation of species of special concern and their habitat.
Residence descriptions / rationales
Residence descriptions and rationales describe the dwelling-place such as a den, nest or other similar area or place that is occupied by a species.
Critical habitat orders, reports and statements
Documents on the identification and protection of habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a species.
List of recovery team chairs
Recovery team chairs, alphabetically listed by species.
Recovery guidance handbook (ROMAN) [archived]
Current best practices for recovery.
Saving the wild; an opportunity to participate in species at risk recovery in Canada
This publication celebrates the tens of thousands of Canadians from all walks of life who are striving to save the wild in Canada.
Identification of critical habitat
Critical habitat identification toolbox
Under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), critical habitat (CH) is the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of listed extirpated, endangered, or threatened species, and that is identified as CH in a recovery strategy or action plan. This CH Identification Toolbox is intended to be used by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) recovery practitioners and those who work with ECCC in the development of recovery documents where CH identification is required.
ECCC invites you to familiarize yourself with the process by which ECCC identifies critical habitat for endangered and threatened species.
Recovery document posting plans
Documents detailing multi-year plans for posting recovery documents by Environment Canada, Parks Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Permits
Permits
A permit may be required to conduct an activity that could affect a species listed under SARA, or its habitat.
Find a document
Find a document
A requirement of SARA is the establishment of this registry for the purpose of providing easy access to documents relating to matters under the act.
In addition to the documents listed in the previous tabs, this registry contains thousands of documents in 40 categories.
Search the registry by document type, date or keyword
Latest publications and news
Publications
December 2020
- 2020-12-02 Consultation on Amending the List of Species under the Species at Risk Act: Terrestrial Species December 2020
- 2020-12-02 Recovery Strategy for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) in Atlantic Canada
- 2020-12-02 The Minister of the Environment's response to Species at Risk assessments submitted by COSEWIC on September 2, 2020
November 2020
- 2020-11-24 Recovery Strategy for the Tweedy’s Lewisia (Lewisiopsis tweedyi) in Canada [Proposed version]
- 2020-11-16 Action Plan for the Boreal Felt Lichen (Erioderma pedicellatum) (Atlantic population) and Vole Ears Lichen (Erioderma molissimum), in Canada [Final version]
- 2020-11-16 Amended Recovery Strategy for the Boreal Felt Lichen (Erioderma pedicellatum), Atlantic Population, in Canada [Final version]
- 2020-11-09 COSEWIC List of wildlife species assessed (including October 2020)
- 2020-11-06 Management Plan for the Lake Erie Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) in Canada
October 2020
- 2020-10-29 Summary of the action plan for SARA-listed populations of White Sturgeon (Upper Fraser River, Upper Columbia River, Upper Kootenay River, and Nechako River)
- 2020-10-28 Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act
- 2020-10-27 Amended Action Plan for the Long's Braya (Braya longii) and the Fernald's Braya (Braya fernaldii) in Canada [Amended final version]
- 2020-10-23 Agreement for the conservation and recovery of the Woodland Caribou in Alberta
- 2020-10-19 Management Plan for the Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas), Calling and Non-calling populations, in Canada [Final version]
- 2020-10-13 Action Plan for the Nooksack Dace (Rhinichthys cataractae ssp.) and the Salish Sucker (Catostomus sp. cf. catostomus) in Canada. 1st amendment [Final Version]
- 2020-10-10 Description of critical habitat of Bicknell’s Thrush in Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada and Forillon National Park of Canada
- 2020-10-06 Multi-species Action Plan for La Mauricie National Park and National Historic Sites of La Mauricie and Western Quebec regions [Proposed]
September 2020
- 2020-09-24 Recovery Strategy and Action Plan for the Fawnsfoot (Truncilla donaciformis) and Threehorn Wartyback (Obliquaria reflexa) in Canada [Proposed]
- 2020-09-24 Recovery Strategy and Action Plan for Lilliput (Toxolasma parvum) in Canada [Proposed]
- 2020-09-17 Amended Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Atlantic-Gaspésie Population, in Canada (Proposed)
- 2020-09-12 Description of Marbled Murrelet critical habitat in the Widgeon Valley National Wildlife Area
- 2020-09-10 Recovery Strategy for the Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus), Saskatchewan-Nelson Rivers populations, in Canada
- 2020-09-10 Recovery Strategy for the Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Canada (Athabasca River populations)
- 2020-09-09 Recovery Strategy for the Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea) in Canada [Proposed]
- 2020-09-08 Addendum to the 2012 COSEWIC Status Report on the Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) St. Lawrence River population in Canada
- 2020-09-05 Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act
- 2020-09-02 COSEWIC Annual Report 2019 to 2020
- 2020-09-02 Order Acknowledging Receipt of the Assessments Done Pursuant to Subsection 23(1) of the Act
News
2020
2018
- 2018-08-28 Summary of the Imminent Threat Assessment for the Southern Resident Killer Whale
- 2018-08-28 Summary of the imminent threat analysis for southern mountain caribou
- 2018-08-28 Minister’s response statement to the emergency assessment of Steelhead Trout, Chilcotin River population
- 2018-08-28 Minister’s response statement to the emergency assessment of Steelhead Trout, Thompson River population
- 2018-08-28 Action Plan for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population, in Canada - Federal Actions
- 2018-08-28 Consultation on Amending the List of Species under the Species at Risk Act: Terrestrial Species January 2018
- 2018-08-28 The governments of Canada and British Columbia reach a draft conservation agreement for southern mountain caribou
- 2018-08-28 Fisheries and Oceans Canada Species at Risk Act Listing Policy and Directive for "Do Not List" Advice
- 2018-06-21 Conservation commitment on the boreal caribou: Val-d'Or population
2016 to 2017
- 2017-12-11 Letter from COSEWIC to Minister McKenna regarding an upcoming Emergency Assessment
- 2016-07-15 Emergency Order for the Protection of the Western Chorus Frog (Great Lakes / St. Lawrence - Canadian Shield Population)
- 2016-05-03 Recovery Document Posting Plans
- 2016-12-22 Bats and White-nose Syndrome in Canada
Consultations
Consultations
Search current and past public consultations.
E-mail newsletter
Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter and receive periodical updates on new items that were added to the public Registry.
Contact us
Report a problem or mistake on this page
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