General status of Alberta wild species

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.

• Wild Species 2020: The General Status of Species in Canada

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

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.

• Criteria and rating scale for ranking the general status of all wild species

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.

• Example of a Species Ranking Form

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.

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.