Conservation Action Plan

The Conservation Action Plan lists species at risk in Canada that have an identified need for hands-on intervention (e.g. captive breeding, nest protection, reintroduction) in their Species at Risk Act Recovery Plans. Our priority ranking (A, B, C) is based on status (endangered, threatened, special concern), need for invention, and readiness for intervention. Bolded species are those with existing/recent Wildlife Preservation Canada support. Species at risk with existing strong support from other organizations are not included here (e.g. whooping crane, woodland caribou, Vancouver Island marmot, peregrine falcon).

Category A: species listed as endangered or extirpated and direct intervention is required to save them
27 species

Mammals
Species
Status
Region
American Badger jeffersonii subspecies  (Taxidea taxus jeffersonii) Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Black-footed Ferret
(Mustela nigripes)
Extirpated Prairies
Ord’s Kangaroo Rat
(Dipodomys ordii)
Endangered Prairies

Birds
Species
Status
Region
Burrowing Owl
(Athene cunicularia)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast, Prairies
Spotted Owl
caurina subspecies (Strix occidentalis caurina)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Piping Plover
melodus subspecies(Charadrius melodus melodus)
Endangered Atlantic Canada
Eastern Loggerhead Shrike
migrans subspecies  (Lanius ludovicianus migrans)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Extirpated (BC) / Endangered (Prairies) Mountain – Pacific Coast, Prairies

Reptiles & Amphibians
Species
Status
Region
Spotted Turtle
(Clemmys guttata)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Spiny Softshell Turtle
(Apalone spinifera)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Oregon Spotted Frog
(Rana pretiosa)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Pacific Pond Turtle
(Actinemys marmorata)
Extirpated Pacific Coast
Northern Leopard Frog
(Lithobates pipiens)
Endangered Rocky Mountain
Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
(Acris blanchardi)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander
(Desmognathus ochrophaeus)
Endangered Carolinian
Queensnake
(Regina septemvittata)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Small-mouthed Salamander
(Ambystoma texanum)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence

Insects
Species
Status
Region
Rusty-patched Bumble Bee
(Bombus affinis)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Karner Blue
(Lycaeides melissa samuelis)
Extirpated Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Taylor’s Checkerspot
(Euphydryas editha taylori)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Island Marble
(Euchloe ausonides insulanus)
Extirpated Mountain – Pacific Coast
Maritime Ringlet
(Coenonympha nipisiquit)
Endangered Atlantic Canada
Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle
(Cicindela patruela)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Frosted Elfin
(Callophrys irus)
Extirpated Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Eastern Persius Duskywing
(Erynnis persius persius)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Five-spotted Bogus Yucca Moth
(Prodoxus quinquepunctellus)
Endangered Prairies
Non-pollinating Yucca Moth
(Tegeticula corruptrix)
Endangered Prairies

Category B: species are listed as endangered / extirpated but further research is needed to understand the best methods for direct intervention OR species is listed as threatened and direct intervention is required immediately
22 species


Mammals
Species
Status
Region
Pacific Water Shrew
(Sorex bendirii)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Townsend’s Mole
(Scapanus townsendii)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast

Birds
Species
Status
Region
Roseate Tern
(Sterna dougallii)
Endangered Atlantic Canada
Vesper Sparrow affinis subspecies
(Pooecetes gramineus affinis)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Horned Lark strigata subspecies
(Eremophila alpestris strigata) 
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast

Reptiles & Amphibians
Species
Status
Region
Wood Turtle
(Glyptemys insculpta)
Threatened Great Lakes – St. Lawrence; Atlantic Canada
Blanding’s Turtle
(Emydoidea blandingii)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Eastern Musk Turtle
(Sternotherus odoratus)
Threatened Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Western Painted Turtle
(Chrysemys picta bellii)
Threatened Pacific Coast
Eastern Foxsnake
(Pantherophis gloydi)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Massassauga
(Sistrurus catenatus)
Endangered (Carolinian), Threatened (Great Lakes – St. Lawrence) Carolinian, Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Blue Racer
(Coluber constrictor foxii)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Great Basin Spadefoot
(Spea intermontana)
Threatened Mountain – Pacific Coast
Butler’s Garter Snake
(Thamnophis butleri)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence

Insects
Species
Status
Region
Mormon Metalmark
(Apodemia mormo)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Yucca Moth
(Tegeticula yuccasella)
Endangered Prairies
Sand-verbena Moth
(Copablepharon fuscum)
Endangered Mountain – Pacific Coast
Ottoe Skipper
(Hesperia ottoe)
Endangered Prairies
Hungerford’s Crawling Water Beetle
(Brychius hungerfordi)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
Dakota Skipper
(Hesperia dacotae)
Endangered Prairies
Poweshiek Skipperling
(Oarisma poweshiek)
Endangered Prairies
Bogbean Buckmoth
(Hemileuca sp.)
Endangered Great Lakes – St. Lawrence

Category C: species are listed as threatened / special concern and further research about direct intervention methods is needed
4 species


Mammals
Species
Status
Region
Ermine haidarum subspecies
(Mustela erminea haidarum)
Threatened Mountain – Pacific Coast

Birds
Species
Status
Region
Barn Swallow
(Hirundo rustica)
Threatened All regions

Reptiles & Amphibians
Species
Status
Region
Northern Dusky Salamander
(Desmognathus fuscus)
Threatened Great Lakes – St. Lawrence

Insects
Species
Status
Region
Yellow-banded Bumble Bee
(Bombus terricola)
Special Concern All regions

Associated Publications:

Conservation prioritization is crucial in addressing biodiversity loss, especially with limited resources. One tool, evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) is based on a measure of evolutionary isolation and has merit for identifying taxa with few close relatives. Here this paper presents the first ever national-level ED scores for all Canadian tetrapods. By laying out and mapping Canada’s native terrestrial vertebrates, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, the team identified which species are the most evolutionarily unique in Canada. This work may be useful for conservation agencies who are determining which species are a priority for conservation work.

Kominek, E., Cornies, O., McCurdy-Adams, H., and A.O. Mooers. 2023. Evolutionary isolation of Canadian terrestrial vertebrate species. Canadian Field Naturalist 137:367-380.