Endangered Species In Canada

Endangered Species

in Canada

Canada has always been known for its varied landscape of mountains, plains, rivers, and Arctic tundras. This means that a myriad of ecosystems resides in Canadian landscapes. Today, human activity combined with global warming puts animals residing in those landscapes at great risk. Acts and regulations such as the Canada Wildlife Act and the Endangered Species Act are implemented by the government in order to regulate, create, manage, and protect wildlife areas across the country. These Acts prohibit all activities that could be detrimental to species and their habitat. As of 2021, approximately 554 species are considered to be at great risk in Canada according to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. In terms of designations and legislation, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) is in charge of deciding which species are at risk and placing them in taxonomic categories. Five main categories are generally presented: extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened, or special concern.

Greater-Prairie Chicken

The first example we will be covering relates to Greater Prairie-Chicken. This type of chicken once lived in the prairies of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Alberta. They are now considered extirpated. They lived on native grasslands and were soaring in the early 1900s when small-scale farms were being developed. This quickly changed when prairie grassland was converted to cultivated crops which made their habitat completely inhabitable. Greater Prairie-chickens still survive in the U.S., whereby they are considered endangered. There is still hope for the re-establishment of this species in large enough areas such as Grasslands National Park, in Saskatchewan.

The second example we will cover is the case of sea otters. Around the 1700s, this animal was very heavily captured and hunted on the Pacific coast. The individuals hunting this animal would sell around 1,200 pelts per year for fashion and luxury purposes. 200 years later, this animal was on the brink of extinction. In 1911, an international treaty was set in place to protect sea otters and by 1960, the population of sea otters in Alaska had grown to about 30,000. Some of them were moved to the west coast of Vancouver. This treaty had a positive outcome and this animal’s status had shifted from “endangered” to “threatened” and finally, to “special concern” by 2007.

The third example we will cover pertains to caribous. There are several populations of caribou in Canada which all belong to the Rangifer tarandus species. They can be found primarily in the northern parts of the country, and in almost every province. In 2019, the COSEWIC listed six populations of “endangered” caribou, three as “threatened” and two as “special concern”. It is also important to mention that the Rangifer tarandus dawsoni caribou subspecies became extinct in the 1920s. The main reason this animal is endangered is due to global warming: warmer temperatures make it possible for caribou predators (cougars, coyotes, and wolves) to live in the north, closer to their prey. Additionally, since caribous use ice to travel, the change in timing of when Arctic ice melts and freezes affect caribous’ migration patterns and access to food.

Natural habitats must be protected. It is important to educate ourselves on such matters using resources from organizations we trust, working actively to turn land they own into highly protected areas. Various organizations currently work to conserve animal habitats such as federal, territorial, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous governments. Additionally, certain non-governmental organizations also buy private properties and keep them protected. A good example is the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada. Now, it’s your turn to act and educate yourself!