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Conservation Action Plan

Our long-time supporters know that much of our endangered species recovery work once took place overseas, where our track record includes helping to save three critically endangered species – the Pink Pigeon, Mauritius Kestrel, and Echo Parakeet – from almost certain extinction.

Over time, however, more and more of our work has shifted to Canada.  Why?  The need here is greater than ever. Over two hundred of Canada’s native terrestrial animal species are now considered at risk, and the number is growing every year.  In 2010, we responded with the creation of our Conservation Action Plan, a scientifically driven, forward looking plan which identifies the species most in need of Wildlife Preservation Canada’s aid.

Conservation practitioners, graduate students and researchers undertaking work of an applied, hands-on nature with the species on WPC’s target list, please see Conservation Grant Guidelines.

Identifying Target Species

Wildlife Preservation Canada’s Conservation Action Plan is based on a scientific survey, conducted annually, of Canada’s  federal and provincial Species At Risk databases.  We review all published species recovery plans for terrestrial species (amphibians, birds, insects, mammals and reptiles) that are listed as extirpated, endangered or threatened and identify those which call for some form of direct human intervention beyond habitat protection.  The resulting list of species is then grouped into three categories based on the urgency of need.  Species for which mature, appropriate intervention programs are already being carried out by other organizations, such as the peregrine falcon, Vancouver Island marmot and whooping crane, are removed from WPC’s priority list. 

The ‘Waiting List’

The updated 2013 priority list includes 45 species.  Species shown in italics are those which WPC is currently working with or has worked with recently.  The rest are on our ‘waiting list’.  Our goal is to address each of them as funding and program partners become available. 

SPECIES REGION STATUS RECOMMENDED INTERVENTION
Category A      
American badger Mountain/Pacific Endangered Translocation where necessary
Black-footed ferret Prairies Extirpated Breeding, reintroduction
Blanchard’s cricket frog Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Reintroduction if feasible (captive breeding underway)
Burrowing owl Mountain/Pacific,
Prairies		 Endangered Reintroduction (captive breeding underway)
Island marble butterfly Mountain/Pacific Extirpated Reintroduction, translocation
Karner blue butterfly Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Extirpated Reintroduction
Eastern loggerhead shrike Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Breeding, geolocators
Maritime ringlet butterfly Maritimes Endangered Reintroduction
Northern leopard frog Mountain/Pacific Endangered Reintroduction
Ord’s kangaroo rat Prairies Endangered Translocation
Oregon spotted frog Mountain/Pacific Endangered Breeding, reintroduction
Atlantic piping plover Maritimes Endangered Captive rearing of abandoned eggs
Spotted owl Mountain/Pacific Endangered Breeding, translocation
Spotted turtle Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Head-starting
Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly Mountain/Pacific Endangered Translocation
Wolverine Maritimes Endangered Translocation
Category B      
Blanding’s turtle Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Threatened Head-starting; nest protection
Eastern foxsnake Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Develop survey protocol and protocols to save hibernating snakes if accidentally unearthed
Eastern persius duskywing butterfly Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Reintroduction
Fowler’s toad Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Threatened Breeding
Frosted elfin butterfly Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Extirpated Reintroduction
Great basin spadefoot Mountain/Pacific Extirpated Breeding, reintroduction
Greater sage-grouse (plains subspecies) Mountain/Pacific Extirpated Translocation
Horned lark (strigata subspecies) Mountain/Pacific Endangered Reintroduction
Hungerford’s crawling water beetle Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Threatened Translocation
Mormon metalmark butterfly Mountain/Pacific Endangered Reintroduction
Northern barrens tiger beetle Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Reintroduction
Ottoe skipper butterfly Prairies Endangered Reintroduction
Pacific water shrew Mountain/Pacific Endangered Protocols to mitigate mortality due to fisheries assessments
Roseate tern Maritimes Endangered Nest protection
Rusty-patched bumblebee Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Breeding
Sand verbena moth Mountain/Pacific Endangered Reintroduction
Spiny softshell turtle Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Threatened Head-starting, nest protection
Swift fox Prairies Endangered Reintroduction (under way)
Tiger salamander Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Extirpated Reintroduction if feasible
Vesper sparrow (affinis subspecies) Mountain/Pacific Endangered Reintroduction; population augmentation
Wood turtle Maritimes; Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Threatened Head-starting; nest protection
Yucca moth Prairies Endangered Translocation
Category C      
Bogbean buckmoth Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Endangered Reintroduction
Dakota skipper butterfly Prairies Threatened Reintroduction
Eastern massassauga rattlesnake Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Threatened Translocation
Ermine (haidarum subspecies) Mountain/Pacific Threatened Determine necessity and feasibility of population augmentation
Pacific pond turtle Mountain/Pacific Extirpated Reintroduction once technically feasible
Poweshiek skipperling butterfly Prairies Threatened Identify preferred plants and habitat characteristics; potential reintroduction
Queensnake Great Lakes/
St. Lawrence		 Threatened Evaluate population augmentation and translocation