The Committee on the
Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) considered the
conservation status of 12 species this spring. This included the
Narwhal, unicorn of the sea, which the committee assessed as Not at
Risk, the humble Salish Sucker, a fish that lives in beaver ponds
and is threatened by pollution and drought, the Blanchard's Cricket
Frog which hasn't been seen in Canada since the 1970s, and the
Kirtland's Warbler and Gray-headed Chickadee, two rare, Endangered
birds. Image credit: Caitlin Willier
|
MONCTON,
NB, May 15, 2024 /CNW/ - The Committee on the
Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessed the conservation
status of 12 wildlife species this past week. This list included
reassessment of majestic species like the Narwhal and the humble
Salish Sucker, a fish that likes beaver ponds. Assessments
highlighted good news for some species and continued imperilment
and even extirpation for others.
Narwhal, or qilalugaq tuugaalik, famous for the large tusks that
protrude from their heads, have long thrived alongside the Inuit in
the Arctic.
"Narwhal are recognized as a cultural cornerstone by Inuit, the
Narwhal holds profound significance," said Jason Akearok, Executive Director of the Nunavut
Wildlife Management Board.
Narwhal are confronted with many threats, including the
accelerating loss of the sea ice they depend on and increasing boat
traffic. So far, these whales are proving adaptable, and
populations remain stable. Importantly, partnerships to co-manage
Narwhal are strong, where the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board,
the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and many others
closely monitor and manage populations.
Added Mr. Akearok, "In alignment with their cultural relevance,
the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board commits to a thorough
examination of scientific insights and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit
[knowledge] from COSEWIC, evaluating their assessment of the
Narwhal as 'Not at Risk.'"
The Salish Sucker is a tenacious freshwater fish that has
persisted in the West for millennia. Despite living through the
last ice age in a tiny ice-free patch in Washington, climate change and pollution
threaten its future.
The fish is currently listed as Threatened, but given
catastrophic current and projected declines brought on by degrading
water quality and climate-change induced drought, COSEWIC assessed
this fish as Endangered.
"Ambitious stream and wetland restoration projects initially
made us optimistic that the situation was improving for this fish.
However, with continuing habitat degradation, there really seems to
be no light at the end of the tunnel," said Margaret Docker, Co-chair of the Freshwater
Fishes Species Specialist Subcommittee.
Kirtland's Warbler is one of the rarest birds in Canada, with only 40-50 individuals breeding
in Ontario. A small songbird with
a lemon yellow belly, Kirtland's Warbler is picky about its home,
requiring young (5- to 20-year-old) stands of Red and Jack Pine, the fire adapted trees made
famous by Group of Seven paintings. Although restoration of pine
forest is ongoing, fire suppression and worsening climate change
pose serious threats to this bird, and COSEWIC assessed it as
Endangered. Rapid climate change may also be threatening another
small songbird. In far northwestern Canada the Gray-headed Chickadee is
disappearing in mysterious circumstances. It was also assessed as
Endangered.
The tiny Blanchard's Cricket Frog has not been documented in
Canada since 1977, despite much
searching by both professionals and amateurs. With a distinctive
call that gives it its name, the frog is hard to miss. Given that
intense surveys over the past decades have come up empty, COSEWIC
assessed the species as Extirpated from Canada.
The committee considered seven additional species – four plants,
a bird, one snail and one fly – and all were assessed to be at some
level of risk.
"There is good news and bad news for Canadian wildlife," said
David Lee, chair of the committee.
"Some species are doing better than predicted, some are struggling,
and some are sadly gone. Ongoing efforts are needed to ensure those
we steward have a future."
Next meeting
COSEWIC's next scheduled wildlife species assessment meeting
will be held in November 2024.
About COSEWIC
COSEWIC assesses the status of wild species, subspecies,
varieties, or other important units of biological diversity,
considered to be at risk in Canada. To do so, COSEWIC uses scientific,
Aboriginal traditional and community knowledge provided by experts
from governments, academia and other organizations. Summaries of
assessments are currently available to the public on the COSEWIC
website and will be submitted to the Federal Minister of the
Environment and Climate Change in fall 2024 for listing
consideration under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). At that
time, the status reports and status appraisal summaries will be
publicly available on the Species at Risk Public Registry.
At its most recent meeting, COSEWIC assessed 12 wildlife species
in various COSEWIC risk categories, including 5 Endangered, 2
Threatened, and 3 Special Concern, and 1 Extirpated (i.e. no longer
found in the wild in Canada). In
addition to these wildlife species that are in COSEWIC risk
categories, COSEWIC assessed 1 as Not at Risk.
COSEWIC comprises members from each provincial and territorial
government wildlife agency, four federal entities (Canadian
Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Fisheries and Oceans Canada,
and the Canadian Museum of Nature), four Non-government Science
Members, Co-chairs of the Species Specialist and the Aboriginal
Traditional Knowledge Subcommittees, and two early career
scientists.
Definition of COSEWIC terms and
status categories:
Wildlife Species: A species, subspecies, variety, or
geographically or genetically distinct population of animal, plant
or other organism, other than a bacterium or virus, that is wild by
nature and is either native to Canada or has extended its range into
Canada without human intervention
and has been present in Canada for
at least 50 years.
Extinct (X): A wildlife species that no longer
exists.
Extirpated (XT): A wildlife species that no longer
exists in the wild in Canada, but
exists elsewhere.
Endangered (E): A wildlife species facing imminent
extirpation or extinction.
Threatened (T): A wildlife species that is likely to
become Endangered if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading
to its extirpation or extinction.
Special Concern (SC): A wildlife species that may
become Threatened or Endangered because of a combination of
biological characteristics and identified threats.
Not at Risk (NAR): A wildlife species that has been
evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given the
current circumstances.
Data Deficient (DD): 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.
Species at Risk: A wildlife species that has been
assessed as Extirpated, Endangered, Threatened or Special
Concern.
SOURCE Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in
Canada