12-7 Protecting Wild Species: The Research and Legal Approach

How Can International Treaties Help Protect Endangered Species? Some Success

Several international treaties and conventions help protect endangered or threatened wild species. One of the most far-reaching is the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

This treaty lists more than 950 species that cannot be commercially traded as live specimens or wildlife products because they are in danger of extinction. The treaty also restricts international trade on several species.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), ratified by 191 countries, legally binds signatory governments to reversing the global decline of biological diversity. The treaty requires each signatory nation to inventory its biodiversity and develop a national conservation strategy—a detailed plan for managing and preserving its biodiversity.

What Is COSEWIC, and How Does It Contribute to Wildlife Species Protection in Canada? Risk Assessment

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was established in 1977 following a conference of government wildlife directors in Fredericton. The COSEWIC original mandate was to consider mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and plants; over time, the organization widened its responsibilities to include mollusks, arthropods, lichens, and mosses.

COSEWIC is best known for the lists it produces of Canadian species that are in jeopardy, organized according to risk category. By 1978, COSEWIC had developed the following five risk categories:

  1. Extinct (X). A wildlife species that no longer exists.

  2. Extirpated (XT). A wildlife species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.

  3. Endangered (E). A wildlife species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

  4. Threatened (T). A wildlife species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

  5. Special Concern (SC). A wildlife species that may become threatened or endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats

How Can Federal Legislation Help Protect Endangered Species? A Wide-Ranging Act in Canada

The Species at Risk Act (SARA), which became law in 2003, is a federal act that provides legal protection for wildlife species. The act has three main objectives:

  1. To prevent Canadian species from becoming extirpated or extinct

  2. To assist the recovery of endangered and threatened species

  3. To encourage conservation and management practices that will prevent other Canadian species from becoming at risk.

For serious offences, individuals can face fines as high as $250 000 and up to five years in jail; a corporation can be fined a maximum of $1 million per offence. Under SARA, it is an offence to:

  • Kill, harm, harass, capture, or take an individual of a listed endangered, threatened, or extirpated species

  • Possess, collect, buy, sell, or trade an individual of a listed endangered, threatened, or extirpated species, or its parts or derivatives

  • Damage or destroy the residence of one or more individuals of a listed endangered or threatened species, or a listed extirpated species if a recovery strategy has recommended its reintroduction into the wild in Canada.

How Have Canadians Responded to SARA? Mixed Feelings

SARA has its critics. In April 2004, Environmental Defence Canada published a “report card” that gave the Canadian government a C for creating SARA but an F for implementing it. One of the group’s main complaints was that only 66% of the species at risk designated by COSEWIC appeared in SARA’s List of Wildlife Species at Risk.

Another very serious concern is that SARA applies only to areas of federal jurisdiction—about 5% of the land area of Canada.

SARA may simply be experiencing growing pains. There is a general consensus that while the legislation is a necessary first step, it needs to be applied more widely and more seriously. This will require cooperation between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and a willingness on the part of more provinces to update their wildlife legislation with SARA-like policies