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Part of Species at risk

General status of Alberta wild species

Conservation goals are tracked in Alberta by monitoring the general status of wild vertebrate species.

Overview

Alberta has long enjoyed the legacy of abundant wild species. These same species are important environmental indicators; their populations reflect the health and diversity of the environment.

The Government of Alberta has designated the promotion of fish and wildlife conservation as one of its core business goals. The status of wild vertebrate species (amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles) is one of the performance indicators with which the government determines the effectiveness of its policies and service delivery.

Photo of a Woodland Caribou

Explore the provincial rankings to find out which wild species of vertebrates are currently at risk in Alberta.

Photo of a whooping crane

Explore the national rankings to find out which wild species of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants are currently at risk in Canada.

Determining general status of wild species

The determination of general wild vertebrate species in the province is central to fish and wildlife conservation in Alberta. This exercise is conducted every five years to assist the provincial government in determining the need for, and direction of, species management and habitat conservation programs.

General status determination is the first step in a continual process of evaluating and reporting on the biological status of Alberta's wild species. Those species determined to be ‘at risk’ receive a detailed status assessment and evaluation.

In 1996 and 2000, the provincial government published reports on the general status of wild species in Alberta. Since 2005, general status assessments have been made available through an online searchable database.

  • Background

    The Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada was signed in 1996 by most provincial, territorial, and federal government Ministers responsible for wildlife (including Alberta's).

    The Accord commits signatories to preventing species in Canada from becoming extinct as a consequence of human activity. As a fundamental first step in species protection, the Accord also requires that all provincial and territorial signatories have a general status evaluation system that is similar and comparable.

    The Government of Alberta was a lead agency in developing the general status evaluation procedure that has been a national standard since 2000. In 2013, the methods and terminology for national species status determination was changed, making comparisons with earlier exercises very difficult.

    For this reason, Alberta continues to offer general status ranks for all vertebrate species using previous terminology and methods; the searchable database found on these web pages reflects this effort. However, Alberta also participates in the national general status exercise, helping to refine status ranks for many other species groups in addition to vertebrates.

  • Objectives

    The general status exercise, and the resulting online database, is designed to achieve four objectives:

    • To produce a list of candidate species for more detailed status evaluations
    • To provide a reference for provincial government agencies in the development of wild species conservation and management programs
    • To provide information on, and raise awareness of, the current status of wild vertebrate species in Alberta
    • To stimulate broad public input in more clearly defining the status of individual species

General status categories

The general status evaluation process that is used in Alberta provides an initial assessment of wild species as to whether they are:

  • "At Risk" of extinction
  • "May Be At Risk" of extinction
  • "Sensitive" to human activities or natural events
  • Considered "Secure"

The process also has other categories under which species can be classified, as follows:

  • Undetermined
  • Not Assessed
  • Exotic/Alien
  • Extirpated/Extinct
  • Accidental/Vagrant

For more details on these wild species classification categories, see:

General status evaluation

The Government of Alberta will continue to evaluate the status of wild species on an ongoing basis. Alberta will also assist in the national general status assessment.

Although the national exercise uses different terminology and method than used to rank Alberta vertebrate species, the exercise is complimentary and covers more species groups than just vertebrates.

The evaluation process involves three steps:

  • Step 1 | Compiling and assessing biological attributes and indicators

    In this evaluation, all relevant current data, information, and knowledge available were summarized for vertebrate, selected invertebrate, and vascular plant species in Alberta using seven key criteria as follows:

    • Distribution
    • Number of occurrences
    • Population size
    • Threats to habitat
    • Threats to population
    • Trend in distribution
    • Trend in population size

    Each criterion was rated on a scale of "A" to "D," in which "A" is of the most concern and "D" the least. The same criteria were used to rank all the species examined.

    Sources included:

    • Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
    • Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS)
    • Breeding Bird Survey (BBS)
    • Databases such as the Fisheries and Wildlife Management Information System (FWMIS)
    • Observations and opinions of species specialists (both contract review and personal communications)
    • Published books and journal articles
    • Unpublished government and industry reports

    Species Ranking Form

    An example of a species ranking form is provided below. The "Comments" provided with each letter code on these data sheets were important in the decision-making process because they provided information on:

    • Actual numbers
    • Actual types and levels of protection
    • Actual types and levels of threats
    • Levels of confidence
    • Reference citations in the literature
    • Search intensity

    Such ranking forms were completed for each species listed in this database.

  • Step 2 | Considering the status of species elsewhere

    The biological status of a species outside of Alberta, especially in neighbouring jurisdictions, was also reviewed. This information helped to determine the proportion of the North American population for which Alberta is responsible and may have affected the status of a species.

    Status categories used included those from the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and various provinces or states, as well as those prepared by Conservation Data Centres (CDCs).

    Peripheral species

    It is important to identify species whose range extends only a short distance into Alberta, but which have large, secure populations elsewhere. These are called "peripheral species." Peripheral species are often only at risk in the province because of small population size.

    In such cases, if the Alberta population receives a high level of immigration from a healthy population in a neighbouring jurisdiction, the level of risk in Alberta may actually be lower than it appears based on population size alone.

  • Step 3 | Assigning a status category

    Preliminary Assessment Process

    All seven criteria in the table Criteria and Rating Scale for Ranking the General Status of All Wild Species were considered in order to place the species in one of nine status categories.

    Species with a large number of "A" scores were at the highest risk of extinction or extirpation, and species with a large number of "D" scores were demonstrably secure.

    All seven criteria are important, but depending on the species being assessed and the circumstances involved, some criteria were given greater weight than others in the final ranking. If necessary, the status category assigned to a species was modified by consideration of the "Status Elsewhere" section. For example, a peripheral species with large, healthy populations outside Alberta may have been moved from the "May Be At Risk" to the "Sensitive" category (see "B" above).

    Final Assessment Process

    Preliminary status assessments, including letter scores, comments and general status ranks were sent out for review by species specialists in the province. These experts included:

    • professional biologists
    • university researchers
    • naturalists
    • consultants

    The status assessment group consulted with these specialists, and their comments and suggestions were compiled. These comments were added to the summaries, and a final status category was assigned to a species.

    After provincial ranks are assigned, each province or territory submits their ranks and comments to be compiled into a single national rank as agreed to by the National General Status Working Group.

The future of wild species ranking in Alberta

Refining the status rankings for each species is an ongoing task. The status document is updated every five years. Status lists change based on current knowledge and changes observed in wild species populations.  It should be recognized that wild species populations can change relatively rapidly, particularly in areas affected by human land use. There is a continuing need to monitor these changes to ensure populations remain viable and to anticipate the effects of changing habitat conditions.

This process will continue to highlight information needs for species whose status currently cannot be determined. Filling the data gaps will require a concerted effort by government agencies, non-governmental groups, and committed individuals.