Species at Risk Act annual report for 2018: chapter 3

3. Listing of species at risk

The Act establishes Schedule 1 as the official List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Species are listed as extirpated, endangered, threatened or of special concern.

3.1 Listing process

The listing process refers to the addition, the reclassification, or the removal of a species from Schedule 1. Once the Minister receives the COSEWIC assessment, the Minister has 90 days to post a response statement on the Species at Risk Public Registry indicating how they intend on responding to each assessment and, if possible, providing timelines for action.

During this 90-day period, the relevant competent minister carries out an internal review to determine the level of public consultation and socio-economic analysis necessary to inform the listing decision. Timelines for action and the scope of consultations included in the response statement are based on the results of this initial review.

All of the species that COSEWIC assessed as being at risk prior to October 1999, were included at proclamation on SARA’s Schedule 2 (endangered and threatened) and Schedule 3 (special concern). COSEWIC reassesses these species using current criteria as part of the process to determine if they should be considered for the addition to Schedule 1. All Schedule 2 species have since been reassessed by COSEWIC. For Schedule 3, taxonomy for the four remaining species needs to be clarified before they can be reassessed by COSEWIC.

Figure 1 outlines the species listing process under SARA. Table 2 (see section 3.4) provides the status of the listing process for each batch of assessed species.

Note: More information, can be found on the SARA Public Registry.

Prior to undertaking public consultations and socio-economic analyses, DFO develops science advice in the form of a Recovery Potential Assessment (RPA) for aquatic species that have been assessed by COSEWIC as threatened, endangered or extirpated. The scientific information in a RPA includes, as an example, species status, threats and limiting factors to the survival and recovery of the species, recovery targets, and feasibility of recovery in given scenarios. The RPA informs the development of advice to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans regarding the listing of aquatic species under SARA and is used when analyzing the socio-economic impacts and during subsequent consultations. The RPA also provides advice needed to meet other requirements of the Act, including recovery planning and permitting decisions.

In 2018, DFO held three Recovery Potential Assessments peer-review meetings for: Redside Dace, Chilcotin River and Thompson River Steelhead Trout, and Warmouth.

3.2 Federal government response to COSEWIC assessments

On April 9, 2018, the Minister’s response statements to the imminent threat assessments for the Steelhead Trout, Thompson River population and the Steelhead Trout, Chilcotin River population were published on the SAR Registry.

In October 2018, the Minister received COSEWIC’s assessments for 76 out of the 90 assessed species in Batch 16. Of these assessments, 42 terrestrial and 34 aquatic wildlife were species at risk, which the Minister provided response statements for in January 2019.

Table 1 shows the species for which assessments and risk status were received from COSEWIC in October 2018. Species are grouped by the type of consultation the departments will undertake.

↓ risk status downgraded
↑ risk status upgraded

↓ risk status downgraded
↑ risk status upgraded

↑ risk status upgraded

3.3 Public consultations

Public consultations provide the Minister with a better understanding of the potential social and economic impacts of possible changes to Schedule 1, and of the potential consequences of adding or not adding a species to the list. Information collected during consultations is used to inform the Minister’s recommendations to the Governor in Council on amending Schedule 1 of SARA.

In 2018, ECCC carried out consultations for 21 terrestrial species for which status assessments had been received from COSEWIC as part of Batch 15. The document titled Consultation on Amending the List of Species under the Species at Risk Act: Terrestrial Species – January 2018 was posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry.

In 2018, DFO consulted Canadians on the possible listing on Schedule 1 of six aquatic species. Consultations included those with other government departments, wildlife management boards, stakeholders, Indigenous groups and non-governmental organizations. Public consultations were also facilitated by inviting respondents to contribute to a web-based, species-specific survey hosted on the Species at Risk Public Registry.

3.4 Listing decisions

Governor in Council decisions on whether or not to amend Schedule 1 according to the COSEWIC assessments are published as orders amending Schedule 1 of SARA in the Canada Gazette, and include Regulatory Impact Analysis Statements. Decisions to not add a species at risk to Schedule 1 of SARA or to refer the matter back to COSEWIC are published in the Canada Gazettewith an explanatory note.

In 2018, final listing decisions were made for 45 terrestrial species. There were two orders amending Schedule 1 of SARA published in the Canada Gazette in 2018. Of the 45 terrestrial species included in these orders: 21 species were newly added to Schedule 1; 11 were reclassifications; 1 was referred back to COSEWIC for reassessment; and 12 were the subject of changes to their recognized designatable units.

Additionally, two proposed orders on whether or not to amend Schedule 1 of SARA according to the COSEWIC assessments for 40 terrestrial species on Schedule 1 were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I for public comment. The comments received will inform final listing decisions for these species. In May 2018, 31 terrestrial species were proposed for addition to, reclassification, or removal from Schedule 1 of SARA. In December 2018, an additional nine terrestrial species were proposed for addition or reclassification to Schedule 1 of SARA. Final decisions for these 40 species are expected in 2019.

Table 2 shows the number of species at each stage of the listing process for Batches 1 to 16 at year-end 2018.

^a The total includes species assessed for the first time, species being reassessed and previously assessed species that have been split into more than one designatable unit.

^b The totals listed as “Uplisted” (to a higher risk category) and “Downlisted” (to a lower risk category) also account for species that were subsequently split into more than one designatable unit with a corresponding change in status and were therefore treated as reclassifications (“uplisted” or “downlisted”). In addition, removals from Schedule 1 are counted here as “downlisted”.

^c Includes four wildlife species that were not listed for further consideration from Batch 1 and reconsidered in Batch 2, and five additional wildlife species when one designatable unit received by COSEWIC was split into six for listing.

3.5 SARA Schedule 1 current status

When SARA was proclaimed in June 2003, Schedule 1 included 233 species. Starting in 2005, species have been added to the list every year, except in 2008, 2015 and 2016. As of December 31, 2018, Schedule 1 listed a total of 580 species.

Table 3 shows the numbers of species added to Schedule 1 each year by risk status as of December 2018.

^d The Eastern Foxsnake was split into two populations. The new populations inherited the species’ status on Schedule 1 of SARA before it was split, and both new populations were uplisted in 2010. For the purpose of this table, one of the new Eastern Foxsnake populations was treated as an addition to Schedule 1.

^e Although the total number of listed species (580) is correct, the total listed as extirpated, endangered, threatened and special concern is slightly different because the values presented in this table do not reflect status changes (i.e., uplisting or downlisting of a species).