Species at Risk Protection

Within Canada, species at risk protection falls under both federal and provincial mandates. While the provincial Ontario Endangered Species Act has long been in place, the federal government passed its Species at Risk Act (SARA) in 2002. 

Canada’s national recovery program to rescue wildlife species at risk of extinction is called RENEW (Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife). RENEW brings all relevant Canadian agencies, groups and individuals together in a concerted effort to rehabilitate endangered and threatened species once their status has been established.

Federally, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assesses species for their consideration for legal protection and recovery (or management) under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). These designations are labeled as the COSEWIC status and are defined as:

• Extinct: A wildlife species that no longer exists.

• Extirpated: A wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere.

• Endangered: A wildlife species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

• Threatened: A wildlife species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

• Special Concern: A wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

• Not at Risk: A wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given the current circumstances.

• Data Deficient: A category that applies when the available information is insufficient (a) to resolve a wildlife species’ eligibility for assessment or (b) to permit an assessment of the wildlife species’ risk of extinction.

In Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) assigns Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) status, in accordance with the provincial Endangered Species Act (ESA 2007) through the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO). The definitions for SARO status are:

• Extirpated: A species that no longer exists in the wild in Ontario but still occurs elsewhere.

• Endangered: A species facing imminent extinction or extirpation in Ontario which is a candidate for regulation under Ontario’s ESA.

• Threatened: A species that is at risk of becoming endangered in Ontario if limiting factors are not reversed.

• Special Concern: A species with characteristics that make it sensitive to human activities or natural events.

• Under the Endangered Species Act 2007, COSSARO may also identify species as Extinct, Not at Risk and Data Deficient. Species on this list do not receive protection under the ESA 2007, and they do not appear on the SARO list.