National Wildlife Emergency Response Framework: guidance

To enhance environmental emergency response in Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada has developed a National Policy on Wildlife Emergency Response and a supporting framework of guidance documents. This guidance has been developed to assist interested parties in preparing for and responding to a wildlife emergency. They support the standardization of wildlife emergency response within Canada, consistent with international practice. It applies to those migratory birds and species at risk, which fall within the mandate of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Note that other federal, provincial/territorial and Indigenous governments or agencies must also be consulted, where applicable, for migratory birds and other wildlife including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and other bird species.

Scope of the framework

Wildlife emergencies involve multiple government jurisdictions, non-government organizations and other interested parties. This framework recognizes and respects the jurisdictional authorities, historic investments and the interests of federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous, regional, and municipal governments, Indigenous groups, non-government organizations, universities, and the public.

The National Policy on Wildlife Emergency Response establishes the role of the Canadian Wildlife Service during wildlife emergencies, including pollution and non-pollution incidents. This framework also includes four sets of external guidelines:

• Guidelines for Wildlife Response Plans
• Guidelines for the Capture, Transport, Cleaning, and Rehabilitation of Oiled Wildlife
• Guidelines for Establishing and Operating Treatment Facilities for Oiled Wildlife
• Guidance and Protocols for Wildlife Surveys for Emergency Response

Wildlife under Canadian Wildlife Service jurisdiction

Wildlife under the jurisdiction of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service includes:

• Migratory Birds as defined under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, wherever they are found in Canada
• listed species at risk as defined under the Species at Risk Act located
  • on federal lands in the provinces
  • on lands under the authority of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in the territories
  • in the exclusive economic zone or continental shelf of Canada
  • except for species (1) located on any lands administered by Parks Canada or (2) under the jurisdiction of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (which include fish, marine mammals, marine turtles, and marine plants, as defined in Sections 2 and 47 of the Fisheries Act)
• all wild species occurring in the National Wildlife Areas set out on Schedule I of the Wildlife Area Regulations (C.R.C., c. 1609)

Guidelines for wildlife response plans

A wildlife response plan is a document that outlines the initial and ongoing wildlife-related response strategies needed during a pollution or non-pollution incident. These guidelines are for governments, Indigenous organizations, industry, response organizations and other interested parties for the development of wildlife response plans that consider all aspects of planning throughout the full life cycle of an incident. They include:

• a review of regulatory requirements associated with wildlife emergency response in Canada
• structure of wildlife response within the incident command system
• description of the types of wildlife response plans
• considerations associated with various types of habitat with regard to wildlife response planning
• information on how to detect signs of impacted avian species
• required components for the response plan such as notification procedures, regulatory requirements, permits and authorizations, health and safety considerations, requirements, personnel, management and response activities to be undertaken
• recommendations to test and evaluate the effectiveness of a the plan

Related links and resources

• Document download: Guidelines for wildlife response plans (PDF)
• Example template of a wildlife response plan (DOCX)

Guidelines for the capture, transport, cleaning and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife

These guidelines apply to the treatment of wildlife affected during an oil pollution incident in Canada. They may also be useful in planning a response during other types of pollution or non-pollution incidents. They provide direction to organizations and personnel authorized to undertake oiled wildlife capture, transport, cleaning and rehabilitation. Where this document refers to birds, it should be assumed that guidance is specific to migratory birds. Additional guidance should be sought from other federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments or agencies for migratory birds and other species, where applicable.

This document includes:

• an overview of regulatory requirements
• considerations for developing health and safety plans
• recommendations to conduct each of the possible phases of wildlife emergency response, including capture, handling, transport, stabilization, collection, cleaning, care, housing and feeding, release of wildlife
• advice on planning for demobilization of wildlife operations at the end of an incident
• guidance on documentation and record management throughout the lifecycle of the animal’s care

Recommendations to undertake wildlife rehabilitation will be situation-dependent based on factors outlined in the National Policy on Wildlife Emergency Response.

During a wildlife emergency, the Canadian Wildlife Service may provide advice on:

• the location of impacted wildlife
• priorities for rescue and rehabilitation
• banding of rehabilitated migratory birds prior to their release
• potential release sites
• post-release monitoring requirements

Related links

• Document download: Guidelines for capture, transport, cleaning and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife (PDF)
• Migratory bird permits

Guidelines for establishing and operating treatment facilities for oiled wildlife

These guidelines outline the standards and best practices for the establishment and operation of a facility intended for the treatment of wildlife affected during an oil pollution incident in Canada. They may also be useful in planning a response during other types of pollution or non-pollution incidents. Additional consultation, guidance and best practices related to wildlife rehabilitation should be sought from provincial and territorial governments, where applicable.

These guidelines apply to:

• wildlife intake
• treatment and rehabilitation or euthanasia
• facility requirements and design considerations
• requirements and measures to avoid or reduce occupational health and safety hazards
• risks to wildlife and to facility structures and equipment

Key elements of this document include:

• overview of regulatory requirements associated with wildlife emergency response in Canada
• health and safety considerations for wildlife treatment facilities
• general guidance to identify and establish facilities that will meet the response needs for the treatment of oiled wildlife
• description of the different types of oiled wildlife rehabilitation centres and support structures including advantages and challenges of each type
• description of the facility design elements needed to care for oiled wildlife during an emergency
• guidance on closing and demobilizing a wildlife treatment facility at the end of an incident

Related links

• Document download: Guidelines for establishing and operating treatment facilities for oiled wildlife (PDF)

Guidance and protocols for wildlife surveys for emergency response

This guidance outlines the rationale, objective and protocols to conduct surveys to gather information on wildlife and habitats impacted by pollution or non-pollution incidents. It is meant to:

• ensure consistency of approach for national wildlife surveys and data collection during an emergency response
• design and implement wildlife surveys that consider all aspects of planning throughout the full life cycle of an incident

During major or complex incidents, the planning and implementation of these surveys should be put in context with the development of a wildlife response plan.

Wildlife surveys can be implemented from a variety of platforms (ground, plane, vessel) and in two phases: reconnaissance surveys to assess the scale of the incident at the beginning, followed by surveillance surveys targeting impacted areas. Key elements include:

• conducting wildlife surveys and managing associated data
• methods of wildlife reconnaissance surveys during an emergency response
• methods of wildlife surveillance surveys during an emergency response including survey design considerations, guidance to conduct bird surveys and to collect wildlife during a pollution or non-pollution incident
• description of the type of wildlife data that may be collected during incidents depending on the objectives of the surveys
• guidance on survey reporting and data archiving

Survey methods focus solely on birds including species at risk. However, in the case of carcass collection, all wildlife species are considered. Where this document refers to birds, it should be assumed that guidance is specific to migratory birds. Additional guidance should be sought from other federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments or agencies for other species, where applicable.

While this document focuses on surveys in marine environments, concepts and some of the techniques may also be applicable to emergency response in freshwater and terrestrial environments.

Related links

• Document download: Guidance and protocols for wildlife surveys for emergency response (PDF)
• Eastern Canada Seabirds at Sea (ECSAS) standardized protocol for pelagic seabird surveys

Additional resources

• Wildlife emergencies: reporting
• The National Policy on Wildlife Emergency Response