Species at Risk Act annual report for 2019: chapter 1

1. Introduction

The Species at Risk Act (SARA) is the Government’s key tool for assessment, listing, recovery planning, protection, recovery action, and reporting on recovery for species at risk. Every year the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada ^{Footnote 1} (the Minister) is required to table in Parliament the SARA annual report.

This year’s report summarizes key activities carried out in 2019 under SARA and fulfills the Minister’s obligation to report annually on the administration of the Act.

Section 126 of the Act states the report must include a summary of the following:

1.1 Background on SARA

SARA is a key tool for conserving and protecting Canada’s biological diversity, and fulfills the Government of Canada’s international commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It also supports federal commitments under the 1996 Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk to prevent species in Canada from becoming extinct from human activity.

The purpose of the Act is:

The Act establishes a process for conducting scientific assessments of the status of individual wildlife species and a mechanism for listing extirpated, endangered, threatened and special-concern species. SARA includes requirements for the protection, recovery and management of listed wildlife species, their critical habitats^{Footnote 2}  and residences^{Footnote 3}.

The responsibility for conservation of species at risk is shared by federal, provincial and territorial governments in Canada. The Act recognizes this joint responsibility and that all Canadians have a role to play in the protection of wildlife.

The federal government, provinces and territories, Indigenous Peoples, and other partners and stakeholders are all stewards of wildlife, habitat, and ecosystems, undertaking conservation measures to care for the natural resources with which they are entrusted. Recognizing shared responsibilities, complementary roles, and co-dependent outcomes, the Government of Canada is committed to implementing its statutory obligations and international responsibilities for conserving nature in collaboration with its partners.

1.2 Implementation of SARA

The Minister is responsible for the overall administration of SARA, except insofar as the Act gives responsibility to another minister (i.e. another competent minister).

The Parks Canada Agency (PCA)^{Footnote 4} , Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), often referred to as the “competent” departments, share responsibility for the implementation of SARA. The ministers responsible for these organizations are known as the “competent” ministers under SARA. The Minister of the Environment is the minister responsible for both ECCC and Parks Canada.

Figure 1. Competent ministers

1.3 Canada’s approach to transforming species at risk conservation

The Nature Legacy for Canada Initiative, announced in Budget 2018, sets out a roadmap to protect Canada’s biodiversity through protection of lands and waters, and conservation for species at risk. This new approach to species at risk conservation has shifted from a single-species approach to conservation, to one that focuses on collaborative, multiple-species, and ecosystems approaches, and prioritizing investments. Actions to implement this new approach are supported by contributions under the Nature Legacy Initiative’s Canada Nature Fund, including:

• $155 million over five years for conservation actions to protect and aid in the recovery of up to 200 terrestrial wildlife species under the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada
• $55 million over five years for aquatic species through the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk
• Up to $175 million over 4 years under the Canada Nature Fund’s Target 1 Challenge program to make a significant contribution to conserving 17 percent of Canada’s land and fresh water, as well as support the expansion of a connected network of protected and conserved areas across Canada which may contribute to the recovery of species at risk. (Canada’s $175 million investment in nature kicks off conservation projects in every province and territory - Canada.ca)

As the lead minister on biodiversity protection and species at risk protection and recovery, the Minister of Environment works with other federal ministers in delivering on these objectives, including Parks Canada, and the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, who has a key role with respect to aquatic biodiversity and species at risk.

1.3.1. Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada

In June 2018, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for conservation, wildlife, and biodiversity agreed to the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada^{Footnote 5} , which sets out principles to guide transformation to multi-species and ecosystems approaches for conserving Canada’s protected terrestrial and freshwater spaces and for terrestrial species. The Government of Canada has been working closely with provinces and territories, Indigenous Peoples, and other partners on species at risk conservation to transform its approach to terrestrial species at risk conservation through advancing the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Approach and related policy and program improvements.

Priority places, species, sectors and threats

In collaboration with the provinces and territories, Indigenous peoples, and other partners, implementation of the Pan-Canadian Approach was initiated through cooperative action for identified terrestrial and freshwater priority places, terrestrial species, and sectors and threats.

• Priority places – A priority place is an area of high biodiversity value that is seen as a distinct place with a common ecological theme by the people who live and work there. There are now 11 priority places identified under the Pan-Canadian Approach.
• Priority species – The federal, provincial and territorial governments have identified six shared priority terrestrial species. These species serve as cultural keystones for a significant number of Indigenous peoples. They also hold a special meaning for many other Canadians. Collaborative approaches focused on single-species may be necessary to implement conservation actions when the species are faced with complex threats, are ecologically important and widely distributed. Delivering conservation outcomes for shared priority species can also have significant co-benefits for other species at risk and biodiversity in general.
• Priority sectors and threats – Effective conservation of species at risk requires identifying and alleviating threats to their existence. Determining high impact sector activities or threats at the national or regional scale, where there is an opportunity to have a positive impact through sector-based or threat-based mitigation initiatives, is one of the key strategies to improving conservation outcomes across Canada. Partners and stakeholders will collaborate to implement mitigation measures and identify opportunities to improve conservation outcomes for species at risk.

At the end of December 2019, the following priority places, species, sectors and threats for terrestrial species at risk had been confirmed by the FPT Deputy Ministers’ responsible for Conservation, Wildlife and Biodiversity:

Investments in priority places (investments include those made in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020)

Across the 11 federal-provincial-territorial Priority Places, partners and stakeholders were engaged, governance frameworks were established, multi-species and ecosystem-based conservation action planning was advanced, and early actions were implemented.

In 2019, the federal government invested up to $7.6 million in 52 projects across the country. Thirty-seven of these projects are being carried out in partnership with provinces and territories in 11 priority places: southwest Nova Scotia, Saint John River Valley, Prince Edward Island forested landscapes, Saint Lawrence Lowlands, Ontario’s Long Point Walsingham Forest, Manitoba mixed-grass prairie, Saskatchewan south of the divide, Alberta’s Saskatchewan River watershed, dry interior of British Columbia, southwest British Columbia, and Yukon’s south Beringia.

Fifteen of these projects are under the Community-Nominated Priority Places program. In each community, multiple partners will take action together to protect and recover species at risk. These projects will complement ongoing species at risk conservation in the 11 Priority Places. One of the projects targets the Land Between bioregion, which covers almost 3 million hectares from Georgian Bay to the Ottawa Valley. This project (carried out in collaboration with 10 partners) is expected to benefit 57 species at risk, including the little brown bat, the eastern (Algonquin) wolf, and the golden-winged warbler. 

In addition, in 2018-2019 under the International Threats component of the Priority Species Stream, $200,000 was invested in eight international projects that address threats outside of Canada to the recovery of migratory birds. A contribution to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) allowed the addition of 567 hectares to their Cockburn Island Nature Reserve resulting in almost 62% of the island being protected, one of the largest protected intact hardwood forest ecosystems in southern Ontario. Additionally, 23 hectares of ecologically significant habitat was secured by NCC adjacent to the existing 3284 hectare Long Point National Wildlife Area. This new property provides habitat for a remarkable 25 species at risk, and includes critical habitat for several of them.

Initiatives with the forest and agriculture Priority Sectors engaged partners and stakeholders to initiate the co-creation of conservation action plans that seek to align conservation and sector policy and practice with positive outcomes for species at risk and sector sustainability.

Parks Canada places play a unique role in the Pan-Canadian approach, as entry points that can be leveraged to anchor and strengthen protection for species and biodiversity in the broader landscape. National parks are in or near many priority places, and Parks Canada has active conservation programs for a number of priority species, such as Greater Sage Grouse, Barren-Ground Caribou, and Wood Bison.

Parks Canada has been using a site-based, multi-species approach to action planning to achieve broad conservation gains. Parks Canada has completed 21 multi-species action plans addressing over 200 species of conservation concern, including 127 SARA-listed species across 42 places it administers. As part of the work under the Nature Legacy for Canada Initiative, Parks Canada allocated approximately $2.5M in 2019-2020 to projects across the country that initiated more than 60 actions identified in SARA action plans.

Investments in priority species (investments include those made in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020)

Significant progress has been made for the six Priority Species, particularly through the implementation of collaborative stewardship-based arrangements. To date, twelve conservation agreements under SARA have been finalized or are in negotiation for three Priority Species (Southern Mountain Caribou, Boreal Caribou and Wood Bison) with provinces, territories, and Indigenous peoples. Approximately $6.3 million was committed for the 2019-2020 fiscal year to support the implementation of seven conservation agreements.

Investments made under the Canada Nature Fund, including matching investments from partners, are supporting on-the-ground projects for the recovery of the six Priority Species across the country. Ongoing collaborative conservation planning arrangements with partners, including Indigenous peoples and multi-partner tables, will further ensure implementation of high-priority conservation measures for each Priority Species. Projects supporting this collaboration included:

• a one-day workshop held by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation with Indigenous knowledge holders to collect information and direction on the protection of the Ronald Lake Bison Herd (wood bison are another priority species identified under the Pan-Canadian Approach)
• the establishment of a transboundary forum for the Detour/Kesagami boreal caribou population (Quebec and Ontario border), which brings together multiple partners including industry, Indigenous groups, and ENGOs to support the recovery of the species

Indigenous partnerships

Indigenous peoples have authority over more than 40% of Canada’s lands and waters. Recognizing and supporting the ongoing leadership of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples as long-standing stewards of Canada’s biodiversity is critical to making measurable progress on species at risk conservation. Enabling Indigenous leadership in the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Approach and SARA has been a focus, providing support to enhance Indigenous peoples’ capacity to design and deliver species at risk conservation action in a manner that reflects their unique needs, priority, rights, and knowledge.

In 2019, relationship-building with Indigenous peoples was advanced through projects that supported the urgent need to act to recover Boreal and Southern Mountain Caribou; increased capacity for the collaborative management of Polar Bear, leveraging Indigenous knowledge; and enabled leadership for species conservation through certified forest management, mapping, and stewarding and restoring species at risk and their habitat on Indigenous lands.

In 2018-2019, under the Indigenous Partnerships component of the Priority Species stream, over $780,000 was invested in 14 projects. These projects enabled Indigenous-led initiatives for the conservation of Boreal and Southern Mountain Caribou, meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples in SARA implementation activities to conserve cultural keystone species, and the collaborative conservation of multiple listed species present on reserve lands. This included:

• $230,000 in contributions provided collectively to five Indigenous partners to support Indigenous-led activities under the National Boreal Caribou Knowledge Consortium, established in accordance with the commitments made within the federal Action Plan for Boreal Caribou.
• a contribution to Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation supporting the collection of Indigenous Knowledge and engagement of community members in land-use planning activities.
• a contribution to Cold Lake First Nations supporting conservation measures within the conservation agreement for boreal caribou, including commitments to landscape restoration and population monitoring.

1.3.2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada implementation of the Nature Legacy Initiative

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is implementing the Nature Legacy of Canada Initiative through multi-species, place and threat-based approaches to transform the way that aquatic species at risk are protected and recovered. DFO is undertaking this work and other key assessment, listing and recovery actions with the renewed capacity provided in the Nature Legacy Initiative. This Initiative provided DFO with additional resources to engage with partners from across the country, through the $55M Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR).

CNFASAR aims to build relationships with Indigenous peoples, provinces and territories, industry, and other partners for aquatic species at risk by supporting and encouraging stewardship actions through the implementation of multi-species, threat, and place-based approaches to recovery and protection. With this approach, the CNFASAR is funding 57 projects over 5 years, which target over 75 populations of aquatic species at risk in seven priority freshwater places and over 50 populations of aquatic species at risk associated with two marine threats.

The seven freshwater places selected as priorities under CNFASAR are:

• Fraser and Columbia Watersheds Priority Area (BC)
• Rocky Mountains’ Eastern Slopes Priority Area (AB)
• Southern Prairies Priority Area (AB, SK, MB)
• Lower Great Lakes Watershed Priority Area (ON)
• St. Lawrence Lowlands Priority Area (QC)
• Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence Rivers Priority Area (NB, NS, PEI)
• Bay of Fundy and Southern Uplands Watersheds Priority Area (NS, NB)

The two marine priority threats which remain a focus for relevant projects under CNFASAR are:

• fishing interactions – this threat includes entanglements and bycatch of aquatic species at risk (geographic scope: all Canadian oceans)
• physical and acoustic disturbance – this threat includes vessel collisions and marine noise

Species at risk conservation and recovery is also a key consideration in implementation of other DFO initiatives, including those that involve attaining marine conservation targets and stock rebuilding.

In 2018-2019, Fisheries and Oceans Canada supported projects that advanced work to support priority places, threats, Indigenous partnerships, and collaboration with provincial partners. These include:

• with the Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Council identifying and restoring priority habitats for three at-risk fish species in the Restigouche River watershed and its estuary in New Brunswick by engaging with Indigenous communities and academic institutions to develop an understanding of Mi'gmaq Ecological Knowledge (MEK) systems which will allow for co-development of a sustainable habitat restoration strategy based on available biological data, GIS tools and MEK.
• with the Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik, a project to support the reconnecting the Skutik/St. Croix River and Passamaquoddy Bay ecosystems in the East Coast – Bay of Fundy and Southern Uplands by identifying fish passage issues at sites and recommending approaches to improve efficiency for passage, including fishway designs and flow requirements while considering site constraints and impacts on energy and existing infrastructure.
• with the Province of Alberta and ALUS Canada, partnering with farmers and ranchers within the Saskatchewan River and the Assiniboine River watershed basins to restore or enhance riparian buffers and construct wetlands; project activities are reducing agricultural run off and sedimentation thereby improving the surrounding aquatic habitats.
• with the Province of Manitoba, examining how select species at risk use the Assiniboine and Lower Qu’Appelle rivers in Saskatchewan by undertaking animal movement tracking, genetic assessment, and evaluation of key habitat features that aquatic species at risk rely on.
• with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation, completion of restoration activities, including riparian habitat restoration and the installation of a cross channel riffle in the Guichon Creek to help reduce sediment loading and increase fish habitat for spawning and rearing habitat for Thompson River salmon.
• with the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM), initiating development of a network of connected land-based observation sites to replace at-sea observation of at-risk marine mammals.
• with the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, assessing and managing acoustic disturbance to bowhead whales by determining the summer distribution of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BSB) population of Bowhead Whales and measuring their exposure to underwater noise, assessing how they react to underwater noise, and developing model management strategies to reduce underwater noise in BCB and Eastern Canada-West Greenland areas. In 2019, acoustic recorders were successfully deployed at Cape Parry, Franklin Bay, Cape Bathurst (two sites) and Herschel Island.