Canada has various endemic wildlife species of conservation concern which are increasingly becoming vulnerable to extinction from natural causes as well as human disturbance. Declining numbers have called for a national initiative as the organizations call this Ours to Save project a Canadian responsibility.
For two years, NatureServe Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) worked together to create the country's first comprehensive list of plants, animals, and fungi. 308 species were identified as well as 27 concentrations of endemic species with unique habitats.
The organizations have ranked only 10% of the endemic species as globally secure or apparently secure, leaving the majority endangered. Also, almost 33% of the species do not have sufficient information to be ranked 'or have continued taxonomic uncertainty,' making further studies a high priority to develop conservation strategies for both national and global assessments.
Most of Canada's natural habitats are made of glacial refugia or 'ice age' areas. However, climate change has caused sea levels to be about 140 feet higher than before as icecaps continue to melt. This has caused isolation for surviving species while others evolved to new species over tens of thousands of years, and others have become endangered.
Patrick Henry of NatureServe Canada explained that 'Many of Canada's national endemic species have restricted ranges, which makes them particularly vulnerable to habitat loss, climate change, and invasive species.'
Eight species of endemic flora and fauna have become extinct, making up 2.5% of the listed species. Two extinctions were caused by over-harvesting while the other six species disappeared from habitat loss or modifications. Changes to small, specific habitats only increase a specie's vulnerability to extinction, especially if the region becomes dominated by human activity.
Endangered Species
One endangered flower is the hairy braya, which is slowly disappearing with rising sea levels and global warming. It was first discovered in 1826 by Europeans, long after Indigenous tribes have already been coexisting with the hairy braya. Another threatened species from the same dangers is the purple aster plant in New Brunswick.
The Wood bison, thriving in Wood Buffalo National Park, have already been wiped out in the United States. In Canada remains a small wild breeding population. They are victims of habitat degradation and overhunting.
In Saskatchewan, the whooping crane was down to 20 birds, but captive breeding and habitat protection have allowed them to multiply into 600. While breeding colonies in the U.S. are trying to increase their population, the only self-sustaining wild population is secure in the Wood Buffalo National park. The eastern wolf is another endangered species, once roaming into northeast America, remaining only in Ontario's Algonquin Park.
Canadian Responsibility
Dan Kraus, a conservation biologist from the Nature Conservancy of Canada shared that 'Protecting these species is Canada's priority in the fight against global biodiversity loss.' The failure of protecting species that need to be conserved will be extinction.
'The results of this project can be used to prioritize conservation actions and to inspire public support for species and habitat protection in Canada.' Protecting these endemic species and their habitats supports national and international commitments to conserving biodiversity and remains essential to maintaining species diversity.'
All organizations involved claim that 'Canada has full responsibility to conserve this special group of wildlife.' 'No other nation can protect this group of all-Canadian species. Their conservation is completely up to Canadians,' said Kraus.
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