Southwestern Saskatchewan multi-species action plan 2017: part 3

Appendix A: Threat assessment table

^m Threat level (Low, Medium, High) as determined for the SoD region, NOT nationwide.

Appendix B: Effects on the Environment and Other Species

A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is conducted on all SARA recovery planning documents, in accordance with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals. The purpose of a SEA is to incorporate environmental considerations into the development of public policies, plans, and program proposals to support environmentally sound decision-making and to evaluate whether the outcomes of a recovery planning document could affect any component of the environment or any of the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy’s (FSDS) goals and targets.

Recovery planning is intended to benefit species at risk and biodiversity in general. However, it is recognized that implementation of action plans may also inadvertently lead to environmental effects beyond the intended benefits. The planning process based on national guidelines directly incorporates consideration of all environmental effects, with a particular focus on possible impacts upon non-target species or habitats. The results of the SEA are incorporated directly into the action plan itself, but are also summarized below in this statement.

Some recovery actions specified in Recovery Strategies or Management Plans may benefit, or alternatively be detrimental, to other species at risk found within the same area. For example, recovery efforts that are designed to conserve and restore native prairie habitats, which is the main focus of this Action Plan, will benefit the majority of the species covered within this Action Plan, as well as other federally listed species that are not currently covered, including Dwarf Wooly-heads (Psilocarphus brevissimus, prairie population), Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus), Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), Greater Short Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi), Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus), and Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus). Few species are expected to be detrimentally affected.

It is acknowledged that some specific land management initiatives such as prescribed burning, control and elimination of woody vegetation, or release of Black-footed Ferrets, may have negative consequences at the local scale for certain species at risk in that area. In those specific circumstances appropriate mitigation measures (e.g. timing, intensity, severity, exact location) will be taken into careful consideration on a case by case basis in order to minimize any negative impacts on species at risk or the environment. Follow-up monitoring is recommended after any management initiative in order to carefully document any negative impacts and ways to minimize them.

One must also keep in mind that our understanding of species and their interactions with each other is continually expanding; some of the positive and negative effects described in the original recovery documents  may actually have changed, or could change in the future, as we add to our knowledge base.  

This South of the Divide Multi-Species-at-Risk Action Plan directly contributes to the goals and targets of the Federal Sustainability Development Strategy for Canada. Specifically, it contributes to Goal 5: “Wildlife Conservation – Maintain or restore populations of wildlife to healthy levels”, and to Goal 6: “Ecosystem/Habitat Conservation and Protection- Maintain productive and resilient ecosystems with the capacity to recover and adapt”.

Appendix C: Maps of critical and important habitat

Note: Within the areas mapped as critical habitat, there may be areas of non-suitable habitat such as urban areas, annual cropland, roads, and water bodies. Such areas may have been included within mapped areas because of inadequate data, or because they are too small to map separately, and should not be considered critical habitat. Only those areas with the biophysical attributes described in Section 1.3 should be considered critical habitat.

These maps include both critical habitat identified in previous documents, and critical habitat that is newly identified in this Action Plan.

Figure 3. Critical Habitat for Burrowing Owl – western portion of the SoD area.

Figure 3 (and Figure 4) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 433 ha, are provided to show newly identified areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.2. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded circles do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 4. Critical Habitat for Burrowing Owl – eastern portion of the SoD area.

Figure 4 (and Figure 3) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 433 ha, are provided to show newly identified areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.2. Critical habitat previously identified for Burrowing Owl (shaded red), comprising approximately 58 ha, is shown within the SoD area (excluding Grasslands National Park) for the convenience of the reader. For details on previously identified critical habitat, refer to Environment Canada (2012a). The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green and red shaded circles do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 5. Critical Habitat for Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer

Areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 76 ha, are provided to show newly identified areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.3. Critical habitat previously identified for Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer (shaded red), comprising approximately 152 ha, is shown within the South of the Divide area (excluding Grasslands National Park) for the convenience of the reader. For details on previously identified critical habitat, see Parks Canada Agency (2010). The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green and red shaded circles do not contain critical habitat except for additional critical habitat identified in the Multi-species Action Plan for Grasslands National Park (Parks Canada Agency 2016).

Figure 6. Critical Habitat for Prairie Loggerhead Shrike

Areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 9,616 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.4. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat except for additional critical habitat identified in the Multi-species Action Plan for Grasslands National Park (Parks Canada Agency 2016).

Figure 7. Critical Habitat for Mormon Metalmark – central part of the SoD area

Figure 7 (and Figure 8) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 298 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.6. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded circles do not contain critical habitat except for additional critical habitat identified in the Multi-species Action Plan for Grasslands National Park (Parks Canada Agency 2016).

Figure 8. Critical Habitat for Mormon Metalmark – eastern part of the SoD area

Figure 8 (and Figure 7) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 298 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.6. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded circles do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 9. Critical Habitat for Mountain Plover – western part of the SoD area

Figure 9 (and Figure 10) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 215 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.7. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded circle do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 10. Critical Habitat for Mountain Plover – eastern part of the SoD area

Figure 10 ( and Figure 9) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 215 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.7. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded circles do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 11. Critical Habitat for Sprague's Pipit - western part of the SoD area

Figure 11 (and Figure 12) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 418,169 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.5. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 12. Critical Habitat for Sprague's Pipit – eastern part of the SoD area

Figure 12 (and Figure 11) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan.  Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 418,169 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.5. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 13. Critical Habitat for Swift Fox - western part of the SoD area

Figure 13 (and Figure 14) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 368,756 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.8. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 14. Critical Habitat for Swift Fox – eastern part of the SoD area

Figure 14 (and Figure 13) show areas within which critical habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 368,756 ha are provided to show areas that meet the criteria set out in Section 1.3.8. The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat.

Figure 15. Important Habitat for Black-tailed Prairie Dog

Areas within which important habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green), comprising approximately 58 ha, are provided to show areas that contain important habitat, where the criteria set out in Section 1.5.2 are met and which were defined in 2007.

Figure 16. Important Habitat for Long-billed Curlew – western part of the SoD area

Figure 16 (and Figure 17) show areas within which important habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 483,941 ha are provided to show areas that contain important habitat, where the criteria set out in Section 1.5.3 are met.

Figure 17. Important habitat for Long-billed Curlew - eastern part of the SoD area

Figure 17 (and Figure 16) show areas within which important habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 483,941 ha are provided to show areas that contain important habitat, where the criteria set out in Section 1.5.3 are met.

Figure 18. Important Habitat for McCown's Longspur – western part of the SoD area

Figure 18 (and Figure 19) show areas within which important habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 394,651 ha are provided to show areas that contain important habitat, where the criteria set out in Section 1.5.4 are met.

Figure 19. Important Habitat for McCown's Longspur - eastern part of the SoD area

Figure 19 (and Figure 18) show areas within which important habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 394,651 ha are provided to show areas that contain important habitat, where the criteria set out in Section 1.5.4 are met.

Figure 20. Important Habitat for Northern Leopard Frog

Areas within which important habitat is found in the South of the Divide area, Saskatchewan. Detailed polygons (shaded green) comprising approximately 447,118 ha are provided to show areas that contain important habitat, where the criteria set out in Section 1.5.5 are met. Note that only Northern Leopard Frog observations outside of Grasslands National Park are shown.

Appendix D: Critical Habitat Previously Identified for Black footed Ferret and Greater Sage-Grouse

D.1 Black-footed Ferret

D.1.1 Identification of critical habitat for Black-footed Ferret

Critical habitat for Black-footed Ferret was described by Tuckwell and Everest (2009b) as follows:

The critical habitat … is defined by the boundaries of the prairie dog colonies in Canada as of 2007 …, but excludes all existing roads and their ditches within these boundaries. This includes prairie dog colonies within the current boundary of Grasslands National Park, the Masefield Community Pasture (Agri-Environment Services Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), the Dixon Community Pasture (Province of Saskatchewan), on provincially leased land and privately deeded land. The colonies that occur on lands managed by two landowners, which are on a combination of private and provincially leased lands, are within the boundary of the proposed Grasslands National Park. As part of the 1988 Parks Canada – Province of Saskatchewan Grasslands National Park establishment agreement, section 12.1 specifies that “Saskatchewan agrees to manage the proposed national park in a manner that recognizes the need to maintain the lands in their existing natural state for park purposes prior to the transfer of administration and control of such lands to Canada.” This implies that those lands and prairie dog colonies within the proposed park boundary are afforded some protection.

Critical habitat for Black-footed Ferret in the SoD area is found within approximately 58 ha distributed over 9 quarter-sections (Figure 21).

D.1.2 Examples of activities likely to result in destruction of critical habitat for Black-footed Ferret

Activities likely to result in destruction of critical habitat for Black-footed Ferret were described by Tuckwell and Everest (2009b) as follows:

Critical habitat for black-footed ferrets is destroyed when ferrets can no longer use any portion of a prairie dog colony for feeding, obtaining shelter and raising young. This happens when burrows collapse, fill in with soil or water or are excavated or otherwise blocked. Critical habitat is also destroyed if the vegetation community is changed dramatically and becomes too tall or obstructive, causing difficulty for ferrets in movement between burrow holes to obtain shelter, or increasing potential cover and perching opportunities for predators. The prairie dogs maintain this vegetation at levels suitable for the ferrets. Destruction of the critical habitat could happen due to physical alteration of the land or if the prairie dogs on a colony are destroyed and the colony is therefore no longer maintained. The fact that some pastures contribute to ferret habitat is evidence of the importance of large-scale grazing ecosystems. Proper grazing management and associated activities are compatible with critical habitat. Creation of new shallow pipelines may be compatible with critical habitat. Management practices that do not constitute destruction of critical habitat include the use and maintenance of:

• existing fence lines;
• existing shallow water pipelines and dugouts;
• salting locations;
• existing prairie tracks for vehicles including two-track trails; and
• existing and emergency fire guards

Some examples of activities that may result in destruction of critical habitat, include, but are not limited to:

• cultivation;
• gravel extraction;
• industrial exploration, development and infrastructure;
• construction of new permanent fire gurads;
• deliberate flooding or filling;
• anthropogenic development (including roads or buildings; and
• destruction of enough prairie dogs (i.e. shooting, poisoning or other killing activity) to destroy the function of the prairie dog town for a ferret (i.e. ability to obtain food and maintain habitat)

In contrast, pre-existing agricultural activities, like sustainable livestock grazing, are compatible with critical habitat for ferrets. Existing roads are not included in the description of critical habitat and therefore road maintenance activities are not likely to result in destruction of critical habitat.

Only some of these activities alone, such as cultivation and flooding, are likely to destroy critical habitat. However, there are probably thresholds or threshold zones of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and changes to habitat conditions beyond which their cumulative effects would jeopardize the ability to achieve the recovery population and distribution objectives (Huggett 2005, Lindenmayer & Luck 2005, Jager et al. 2006, Bets et al. 2007, Rhodes et al. 2008). The cumulative effects of some combination of these activities could alter the habitat attributes and functions beyond a threshold necessary to achieve the population and distribution objectives for the species' recovery. Unfortunately these threshold values are unknown for ferret critical habitat at the time of writing of this [BFFE RS 2009] document.

Figure 21. Critical Habitat for Black-footed Ferret

Areas within which critical habitat was previously identified for Black-footed Ferret (shaded red), comprising approximately 58 ha distributed over 9 quarter-sections within the SoD area (excluding Grasslands National Park). This is shown for the convenience of the reader. For details on previously identified critical habitat, see Tuckwell and Everest (2009b). The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the red shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat.

D.2 Greater Sage-Grouse

D.2.1 Identification of critical habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse

Within the SoD area, Greater Sage-Grouse critical habitat is found within approximately 94,842 ha distributed over 3,351 quarter-sections.

Critical habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse was fully identified in the Amended Recovery Strategy (Environment Canada 2014a), but has been included here for the benefit of the reader. For full context, the reader is encouraged to view the entire Greater Sage-Grouse Amended Recovery Strategy document, which may be found on the SARA Registry From p.23 (Section 7 Critical Habitat  Environment Canada 2014a):

D.2.2 Examples of activities likely to result in destruction of critical habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse

From page 31 (Environment Canada 2014a):

Figure 22. Critical Habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse: western part of the SoD area

Figure 22 (and Figure 23) show areas within which critical habitat was previously identified for Greater Sage-Grouse (shaded green), comprising approximately 94,842 ha distributed over 3,351 quarter sections within the SoD area (excluding Grasslands National Park). This is shown for the convenience of the reader. For details on previously identified critical habitat, including that contained within the boundaries of GNP, see Environment Canada (2014a). The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat, unless contained within GNP as noted above.

Figure 23. Critical Habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse: eastern part of the SoD area

Figure 23 (and Figure 22) show areas within which critical habitat was previously identified for Greater Sage-Grouse (shaded green), comprising approximately 94,842 ha distributed over 3,351 quarter sections within the SoD area (excluding Grasslands National Park). This is shown for the convenience of the reader. For details on previously identified critical habitat, including that contained within the boundaries of GNP, see Environment Canada (2014a). The 10 x 10 km UTM grid squares (red outline) shown on this figure are part of a standardized national grid system that indicates the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found. Areas outside of the green shaded polygons do not contain critical habitat , unless contained within GNP as noted above.

Appendix E: Glossary of terms

action plan

a recovery planning document that sets out the recovery measures that are to be taken to implement the recovery strategy, including those that address the threats to the species and those that help to achieve the population and distribution objectives, as well as an indication as to when these measures are to take place. If critical habitat was not fully identified in the recovery strategy, the action plan must include and identification of critical habitat, to the extent possible, based on the best available information and consistent wit the information presented in the recovery strategy, and examples of activities that are likely to result in its destruction. An action plan also includes a statement of measures proposed to protect critical habitat, and a socio-economic assessment of the action plan. For a complete description of what an action plan under SARA must include, please refer to section 49 (1) of the Act.

biophysical attributes

biological and physical characteristics (e.g., vegetation type, terrain, elevation, soil type, microhabitat features, etc.) used to describe the critical habitat of a species at risk.

competent minister

as defined in in section 2 of SARA, competent minister means (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. One of the responsibilities of a competent minister is to ensure that recovery strategies and action plans or a management plan is prepared for species listed on Schedule 1 of SARA.

conservation agreement

an agreement between a landowner and an agency intended to encourage conservation on privately managed land. One example of a conservation agreement is a conservation easement, which is a legally binding agreement (or instrument) whereby the landowner transfers specific rights to an easement holder, usually a nature conservation organization or agency, that may benefit a species at risk or enhance its survival in the wild. An easement may be granted to protect, enhance or restore a natural area, or simply preserve an open stretch of land. A voluntary easement may qualify as an ecological gift under the Income Tax Act of Canada.

COSEWIC

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. This Committee was established in 1977 to provide scientifically sound assessments on the status of wildlife species in Canada. The role of COSEWIC is to recommend to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change which species to include in SARA.

critical habitat

the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as critical habitat in the recovery strategy or action plan for the species.

critical habitat identification

the first step in a process intended to ensure that critical habitat is protected from human activities that would result in its destruction. Critical habitat must be identified to the extent possible and be based on the best available information, within the timelines required for the completion of a recovery strategy or action plan.

endangered species

a wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

extirpated species

a wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere in the wild.

federal land

as defined in section 2 of SARA, federal land means (a) land that belongs to Her Majesty in right of Canada, or that Her Majesty in right of Canada has the power to dispose of, and all waters on and airspace above that land; (b) the internal waters of Canada and the territorial sea of Canada; and (c) reserves and any other lands that are set apart for the use and benefit of a band under the Indian Act, and all waters on and airspace above those reserves and lands. Examples of federal lands include: National Parks, National Wildlife Areas, some Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, some Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada community pastures, First Nations reserve lands, and some military training areas.

habitat

as defined in section 2 of SARA (for non-aquatic species), habitat is the area or type of site where an individual or wildlife species naturally occurs or depends on directly or indirectly in order to carry out its life processes, or formerly occurred and has the potential to be reintroduced.

implementation schedule

a schedule that sets out the timing of specific recovery measures.

important habitat

areas that are deemed of importance to “species of special concern”.

management plan

as desribed in section 65 of SARA, a management plan must be prepared for species listed as special concern and must include measures for the conservation of the species that the competent Minister considers appropriate. The management plan may apply with respect to more than one wildlife species.  

measures proposed to protect critical habitat

(on non-federal lands) - instruments of a legally-binding nature under provincial or territorial laws or under SARA or other acts of Parliament, as well as conservation measures such as conservation agreements, that prevent critical habitat from being destroyed and ultimately contribute to the recovery of the species.

provincial lands

Crown Lands held by the province, where the land title and/or the abstract identify these lands as “Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Saskatchewan”. Provincial lands include: park lands (e.g. Provincial Parks, Protected Areas), Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF) lands, Resource Crown Lands, and Agricultural Crown Lands.

provincial wildlife minister

any minister of the government of a province who is responsible for the conservation and management of a wildlife species in that province.

public comment period

consistent with SARA (s. 50(2)), a proposed Action Plan must be posted on the SAR Public Registry for a period of 60 days; any person may file written comments with the competent minister during that time. Within 30 days of the end of the public comment period all comments must be considered and the Action Plan finalized.

public registry

an online service that provides access to information and documents developed under SARA. It supports public participation in decision making, by providing an opportunity to comment on SARA-related documents being developed by the Government of Canada.   Available at Species at Risk Public Registry

recovery strategy

 a recovery planning document that describes the species and its needs, identifies the threats to the species and its habitat, identifies the species’ critical habitat to the extent possible based on the best available information, identifies population and distribution objectives for the species and a general description of the research and management activities needed to meet those objectives.  Please refer to section 41 (1) of SARA for a complete description of what a recovery strategy must address.

SARA

the Species at Risk Act is a federal act that takes a cooperative approach to working with land managers and provincial governments to protect species at risk and their habitats. The purposes of the Act are: 1) to prevent wildlife species from becoming extinct or extirpated (gone from the wild in Canada); 2) to help recover extirpated, endangered or threatened species, and 3) to manage species of special concern to prevent them from becoming endangered or threatened.

socio-economic evaluation

analysis required by SARA (s. 49(1)(e)) to be undertaken and included in an action plan. The competent minister must undertake an evaluation of the social and economic costs of recovery measures proposed in an action plan, ensuring that the scale and scope of the analysis is proportionate to the magnitude and complexity of potential impacts.

species at risk

an extirpated, endangered, or threatened species, or a species of special concern.

special concern

a wildlife species that may become a threatened or endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

stakeholder

anyone who can affect the objectives of the SoD project or is affected by them (definition agreed on at SoD Stakeholders Meeting #5, June 4, 2013)

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.

threats assessment

assessment of natural and anthropogenic (man-made) threats to a species at risk, that if not reversed or mitigated may lead to the further endangerment of the species, or may prevent the recovery of the species. Threats are often cumulative in their effects; that is they operate together with other threats to adversely affect the species.

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 (a) is native to Canada; or (b) has extended its range into Canada without human intervention and has been present in Canada for at least 50 years.