The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
Main Table of Contents
Status reports to be considered at the 27–30 November meeting;
Jefferson Salamander to be considered at this meeting.
Nov. 30/2000
News Release - short;
COSEWIC List Of Canadian
Species At Risk Continues to Grow
Jefferson Salamander as a Threatened species
listed here.
Nov. 30/2000
News Release - long;
COSEWIC Species Assessments
-- November 2000
Jefferson Salamander as a Threatened species
listed here.
The COSEWIC web-site;
The Items below have been downloaded from
the COSEWIC Internet
site in Nov. -
Dec. 2000.
(17 November
2000)
Status reports to be
considered at the
27–30 November meeting
Common name Latin name
New reports
Riddell’s Goldenrod
Solidago ridellii
Jefferson Salamander
Ambystoma jeffersonianum
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Bucephala islandica
Olympia Oyster
Ostrea conchaphila
Horsetail Spike-rush
Eleocharis equisetoides
American Heart’s Tongue Fern
Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum
Dun Skipper
Euphyes vestrisvestris
Taylor’s Checkerspot
Euphydryas editha taylori
Columbia Hairstreak
Satyrium behrii columbia
Island Blue
Plebejus saepiolus insulanus
Atlantic Wolffish (deferred from May
meeting) Anarhichas lupus
Update reports
Pacific Giant Salamander
Dicamptodon tenebrosus
Loggerhead Shrike (eastern race)
Lanius ludovicianus migrans
Hooded Warbler
Wilsonia citrina
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
King Rail
Rallus elegans
Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Henslow’s Sparrow
Ammodramus henslowii
Whooping Crane
Grus americana
Mountain Plover
Charadrius montanus
Deerberry
Vaccinium stamineum
Colicroot
Aletris farinosa
Blue Ash
Fraxinus quadrangulata
Kentucky Coffee-tree
Gymnocladus dioicus
Atlantic Whitefish (Acadian)
Coregonus huntsmani
Marbled Murrelet
Brachyramphus marmoratus
Queen Charlotte Goshawk
Accipiter gentillis laingi
Loggerhead Shrike (Prairie population)
Lanius ludovicianus excubitorides
Sage Thrasher
Oreoscoptes montanus
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virensauricollis
White-headed Woodpecker
Picoides albolarvatus
Fowler’s Toad (deferred from May meeting)
Bufo fowleri
Killer Whale, (deferred from May meeting)
Orcinus orca
Back list reports to be considered at request of Species Specialist
Group Chair(s)
Eastern Mole
Scalopusaquaticus
Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus
Eastern Sand Darter
Ammocrypta pellucida
Lake Lamprey
Lampetra macrostoma
Spotted Gar
Lepisosteus oculatus
Cultus Pygmy
Sculpin Cottus sp.
Mira River Whitefish
Coregonus clupeaformis
COSEWIC List Of Canadian Species
At Risk Continues to Grow
MONTREAL – November 30, 2000 – The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has released the updated list of Canadian Species at Risk. Using the best information available, the Committee determines the level of risk of extinction for Canada’s wildlife species. The list now includes 364 wild species in various categories.
COSEWIC met in Montreal from November 27 to 30 to review nearly 40 species. Eleven new listings include: an amphibian, the Jefferson Salamander (Threatened); four butterflies, including Taylor’s Checkerspot (Endangered); several plants, including the American Hart’s-tongue Fern (Special Concern); the Atlantic Wolffish (Special Concern); and a mollusc, the Olympia Oyster (Special Concern). Overall, the number of species listed in the Endangered and Threatened categories each rose by five, and the Special Concern category increased by one.
A large part of the Committee’s work was the reassessment of 28 species that are currently on the list of Canadian Species at Risk. COSEWIC reassessments are based on quantitative criteria that estimate the risk of extinction, and were recently developed by COSEWIC, building on the global model used by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Of the species reassessed, twenty remained in the same category, seven were uplisted and one was downlisted. COSEWIC began its reassessments in October 1999 and has now completed over 100 reassessments.
"COSEWIC’s reassessments provide us with an ever more current and complete picture of the status of species at risk in Canada,” said COSEWIC Chair Dr. David Green. ”The number of species on the list continues to increase each year,” added added Dr. Green.
COSEWIC is an independent organization of wildlife experts including members from universities and museums, provinces and territories, three non-government conservation organizations and four federal agencies (Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Fisheries and Oceans, Federal Biosystematic Partnership). In the coming year, a new member bringing expertise in Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge will be added to COSEWIC.
- 30 -
For more information: Chantal Hunter (613) 612-0943 OR Catherine Schellenberg (613) 612-7826
(11/ 30/ 00 5 Pages)
COSEWIC Species Assessments -- November 2000
New listings are shown first, followed by re- assessments. Results are sorted by taxonomic group and then alphabetically by species name.
The current and previous status (where applicable) and the Canadian
range of occurrence for each
species (by province / territory / ocean) are shown.
New Listing or Species Name Status Assigned Occurrence
Result of (Previous Status)
Re- assessment
Taxonomic Group
New
Birds
Barrow's Goldeneye (Eastern population) Special Concern QC NB NS PE
NF
Amphibians
Jefferson Salamander
Threatened ON
Fish
Atlantic Wolffish Special Concern Atlantic Ocean
Lepidopterans
Behr's (Columbia) Hairstreak Threatened BC
Dun Skipper (Western population) Threatened BC
Island Blue Endangered BC
Taylor's Checkerspot Endangered BC
Molluscs
Oympia Oyster Special Concern BC
Plants
American Hart's- tongue Fern Special Concern ON
Horsetail Spike- rush Endangered ON
Riddell's Goldenrod Special Concern MB ON
Uplisted
Birds
Queen Charlotte Goshawk Threatened BC (Special Concern)
Western Yellow- breasted Chat (British Columbia population) Endangered
BC (Threatened)
White- headed Woodpecker Endangered BC (Threatened)
Amphibians
Pacific Giant Salamander Threatened BC (Special Concern)
Fish
Cowichan Lake Lamprey Threatened BC (Special Concern)
Cultus Pygmy Sculpin Threatened BC (Special Concern)
Spotted Gar Threatened ON (Special Concern)
Downlisted
Plants
Blue Ash Special Concern ON (Threatened)
No Change
Mammals
Black- tailed Prairie Dog Special Concern SK
Eastern Mole Special Concern ON
Birds
Acadian Flycatcher Endangered ON
Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Endangered MB ON QC
Eastern Yellow- breasted Chat Special Concern ON
Henslow's Sparrow Endangered ON
Hooded Warbler Threatened ON
King Rail Endangered ON
Marbled Murrelet Threatened BC
Mountain Plover Endangered AB SK
Sage Thrasher Endangered BC AB SK
Western Yellow- breasted Chat (Prairie population) Not at Risk AB SK
Whooping Crane Endangered NT AB
Amphibians
Fowler's Toad Threatened ON
Fish
Atlantic Whitefish Endangered NS
Eastern Sand Darter Threatened QC ON
Lake Whitefish (Mira River population) Data Deficient NS
Plants
Colicroot Threatened ON
Deerberry Threatened ON
Kentucky Coffee- tree Threatened ON
Terms used;
WILDLIFE SPECIES
Species, subspecies or biologically distinct population of animal ,
plant or other organism, other than a bacteria or virus, that is wild by
nature an
1. is native to Canada; or
2. has extended its range into Canada without human intervention and
has been present in Canada
for at least 50 years
EXTINCT
A wildlife species that no longer exists.
EXTIRPATED
A wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but
exists elsewhere in the wild.
ENDANGERED
A wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction.
THREATENED
A wildlife species that is likely to become an endangered species
if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading leading to its extirpation
or extinction.
SPECIAL CONCERN (VULNERABLE)
A wildlife species of special concern because it is particularly sensitive
to human activities or natural events, but does not include an extirpated,
endangered or threatened species.
NOT AT RISK
A wildlife species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.
DATA DEFICIENT (INDETERMINANT)
A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to
support status designation.
See COSEWIC's Definitions of Terms & Risk Categories for more information.
Three lists are maintained:
# Species at Risk: species designated in the extinct, extirpated, endangered,
threatened, or special
concern categories;
# Not at Risk: species that have been evaluated and found to be not at risk;
# Data Deficient: species for which there is insufficient scientific
information to support a risk or
not at risk designation.
Brief History
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada was created
in 1977 as a result of
a decision made at the Conference of Federal-Provincial-Territorial
Wildlife Directors held in
1976 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The committee made its first status
designations in April
1978, and has met annually since then.
With time and experience, COSEWIC developed and periodically modified
its operating
procedures, the categories of risk and their definitions, and the manner
in which it deals with
populations. Even after over twenty years of existence, the committee
continues to evolve and to
fine-tune its operations in an effort to do its job in the best possible
manner. With upcoming
federal species at risk legislation and as a result of its new terms
of reference, COSEWIC is
moving towards numerical assessment criteria, which are perceived as
being more objective.
Because of COSEWIC's solid scientifically based evaluation of the national
status of species,
status designations are well respected. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE NO LEGAL
STANDING.
THIS MEANS THAT NO LEGAL CONSEQUENCES FLOW FROM COSEWIC
DESIGNATIONS.
Nevertheless, COSEWIC-listed species are usually
accorded special consideration by range
jurisdictions (the provinces and territories
where they occur) and in environmental impact
assessments of projects. In addition,
under the accord for the Protection of Species at Risk, federal, provincial
and territorial governments have agreed to recognize COSEWIC as the source
of independent advice on the status of species at risk nationally, and
to work together to protect these species.
Originally, the wildlife directors gave COSEWIC the mandate to consider
vertebrates (mammals,
birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish) as well as plants. In 1994,
COSEWIC's mandate was
expanded to include molluscs and lepidopterans (butterflies and moths).
The first mollusc was
listed in 1996, and the first lepidopterans in 1997. As well, the former
plant subcommittee, now
the Species Specialist Group for vascular plants, mosses and lichens
broadened its scope in 1994
and listed its first lichen in 1995, and its first moss in 1997.
Species from other taxonomic groups will be considered if acceptable
status reports are submitted
to COSEWIC by outside sources.
COSEWIC has always had the power to designate
species on an emergency basis when there is a clear immediate
danger of serious decline in the species population and/or range, or when
such a decline is already in progress and will continue unless immediate
corrective actions are taken, and when the delay involved with going through
the normal process could contribute to the species'
jeopardy. COSEWIC made its first emergency status designation in November,
1999.
To date, COSEWIC has considered 515 species, 353 of which appear on
the current list of
species at risk.
ALTHOUGH RECENTLY COSEWIC HAS BEEN ADDING SPECIES TO ITS LIST AT THE
RATE OF TEN TO TWENTY SPECIES PER YEAR, THIS DOES NOT REFLECT THE
RATE AT WHICH SPECIES ARE BECOMING AT RISK. RATHER, IT REFLECTS THE
RATE AT WHICH THE COMMITTEE IS ABLE TO EXAMINE SPECIES. OVER 600
ADDITIONAL SPECIES WITHIN THE TAXONOMIC GROUPS THAT ARE CURRENTLY
CONSIDERED BY COSEWIC REQUIRE ATTENTION. NUMEROUS OTHER SPECIES
IN
OTHER TAXONOMIC GROUPS WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED AS
WELL.
Operating Procedures
COMPOSITION
The voting membership of COSEWIC consists of representatives from each
provincial and
territorial government wildlife agency, three federal agencies (Parks
Canada, Canadian Wildlife
Service, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans), The National
Biosystematics Partnership,
and three national conservation organizations (Canadian Nature Federation,
Canadian Wildlife
Federation, and World Wildlife Fund Canada). In addition, the chairperson(s)
of eight Species
Specialist Groups, each dealing with a taxonomic group, are selected
from the above members or
from museums, universities, or other sources. Currently, COSEWIC consists
of 28 voting
members.
COSEWIC's activities are directed by a chairperson, who is elected for
a two-year renewable
term, and are supported by a Secretariat provided (both funded and
housed) by the Canadian
Wildlife Service (CWS).
SPECIES SPECIALIST GROUPS
Species Specialist Groups (SSGs) provide scientific expertise on particular
taxonomic groups.
Each SSG is composed of two Co-chairs and a group of wildlife experts
(who usually are not
voting members of COSEWIC) selected by the Co-chairs to assist them
in carrying out their
duties. SSG members are drawn from universities, provincial wildlife
ministries, museums,
Conservation Data Centres, and other sources from across Canada. With
their help, SSG
Co-chairs develop candidate lists, commission status reports for priority
species, review reports
for scientific accuracy and completeness, and propose a status for
each species. They also accept
reports prepared by any interested person or organization, as long
as reports meet COSEWIC
standards.
At the annual general meeting, the Co-chairs of each SSG present reports
resulting from their
SSG's work for consideration by the full COSEWIC membership.
STATUS REPORTS
Status reports provide the basis for status assessment. It is essential
that instructions for status
report preparation be followed. Key information includes the current
and historic population size
and distribution of a species, changes in these parameters over time,
and current threats and
limiting factors to the species. Authors of reports are asked to assess
the status of a species based
on COSEWIC risk categories and definitions.
All status reports are reviewed by the appropriate SSG. They are sent,
along with the SSG's status
recommendation, to the range jurisdiction(s) — the governments of the
provinces and territories
where the species — occurs or the federal department responsible for
the species which have at
least six months prior to the annual meeting to provide comments and
additional information. The
reports are also distributed to all COSEWIC members who meet in April
to discuss the status
reports and assign status, as appropriate, to the species under consideration.
HOW STATUS IS DESIGNATED
The voting members of COSEWIC review status reports prior to the annual
meeting. At the
meeting, the situation of each species is discussed and status is assigned
on the basis of consensus
whenever possible. If a question or difference of opinion exists, data
presented in the status report
and any additional information that may be available are discussed
further. If consensus cannot be
reached, a two-thirds majority vote is required to assign a particular
status.
COSEWIC's duties end with status designation. It is then up to the range
jurisdictions to take
whatever conservation actions they deem appropriate to address the
threats and limiting factors
putting the species at risk, or to take actions to recover the species.
PERIODIC REVIEW OF STATUS
An attempt is made to prepare up-date status reports to review the
status of previously
considered species on a ten-year basis, or when information indicates
that a change in status may
be warranted. Upon re-examination, the status of a species may be confirmed,
upgraded (to a
more serious risk category), downgraded (to a less serious risk category),
or when a species is
PLEEASSE SIGN OUR PETITION
It will make a difference!
Home page - Main Table of Contents - Back a page - Back to Top
Web-sites to visit;
COSEWIC at; http://www.cosewic.gc.ca/COSEWIC/Default.cfm
Check my Archives page too.