Conservation Planning
Long-term conservation of endangered species continues to face new and emerging challenges, such as novel diseases and the impacts of climate change. In today’s world, the view that all species can be effectively conserved with minimal management simply by creating large areas of protected habitat is unrealistic. There is an increasing need for active management and long-term human intervention, guided by strategic plans that are tailored to the conservation needs of species.
The One Plan Approach
The One Plan Approach to species conservation promotes an integrated strategy for species recovery where a wide range of conservation partners work together to create a comprehensive conservation plan that includes populations both in the wild (in situ) and in human care (ex situ). By involving diverse partners in the planning process, including field biologists, wildlife managers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, academics, and the zoo, aquarium, and botanic garden community, the One Plan Approach bridges the gap between wild and captive population management and mobilizes the full suite of skills and resources available to help species in trouble.
The One Plan Approach is supported by the Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG), part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission. CPSG helps teams develop conservation plans through collaborative, science-driven workshops that have proven results in threatened species conservation.
Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG) Canada
Wildlife Preservation Canada is proud to host the Regional Resource Center for CPSG in Canada. We use CPSG principles and tools, allowing proven conservation techniques to be adapted to meet our country’s unique needs, such as improving connections between conservation priorities in the wild and conservation roles supported by zoos. CPSG Canada is part of a global network of facilitators trained to deliver species conservation planning workshops that apply the One Plan Approach.
Recent conservation planning workshop reports:
CPSG Canada Members
Explore Recent Work
CPSG 2024 Annual Report
Check out CPSG’s 2024 annual report to see the incredible work done by this group to improve conservation globally!
Highlights for the CPSG Canada team (hosted by your very own WPC!) include:
– Facilitating the final conservation planning workshop for Eastern Loggerhead Shrike and publishing the transnational Conservation Strategy for the species
– Facilitating our second Ex Situ Conservation Assessment for a rare plant species, Furbish’s Lousewort
– Hosting a symposium at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology in Vancouver and presenting at the 2024 AZA Annual Conference in Calgary
Canadian Snakes Presentation
Snake Story Map
Workshop Behind the Scenes
Herpetological Conference Webinar
Publications
Ashpole SL, Bennett AM, Calatayud N, Forzán MJ, Garner TWJ, Helbing CC, Herman TB, Ovaska K, Paszkowski C, Randall L, Robinson SA and Winton SA (2026) Amphibian conservation in Canada: state of the art and call for action. Front. Amphib. Reptile Sci. 4:1773591. doi: 10.3389/famrs.2026.1773591
Fotherby H*, Elliott G, Sawatzky N, Winton S, Wolfe R, and Chabot A. 14 Sept 2025. On the brink: creating a conservation action plan for the Carolinian population of Gray Ratsnake (Pantherophis spiloides). Canadian Herpetology Society Annual Conference. Sept 12-25, 2025. Quebec City, QC.
Steiner J, Winton S, and Chabot A. 11 June 2025. Integrated Conservation Planning for Endangered Rare Plants in Atlantic Canada. Canadian Botanical Association Annual Conference. June 10-14, 2025. St John’s, NL.
Winton S, Chabot A, Zajac K, Wallace S, Williams M, Forbes G (Eds.). 2025. Furbish’s Lousewort (Pedicularis furbishiae) Ex Situ Conservation Planning Workshop: Final Report. IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group – Regional Resource Center Canada.
Chabot, A. 2024. The One Plan Approach: an overview of integrated species conservation action planning. In: The One Plan Approach: inclusive, participatory, science-based species conservation planning [symposium]. North American Congress for Conservation Biology, Vancouver, BC, June 23-28, 2024.
Winton, S. 2024. Incorporating consideration of ex situ conservation roles into recovery planning in North America. In: The One Plan Approach: inclusive, participatory, science-based species conservation planning [symposium]. North American Congress for Conservation Biology, Vancouver, BC, June 23-28, 2024.
WPC Conservation Planning Team
Stephanie Winton
CPSG Canada Convener and Conservation Planning Coordinator
Stephanie was Wildlife Preservation Canada’s 31st Canada’s New Noah in 2022 and has returned to WPC to apply her experience in integrated in situ and ex situ conservation management approaches and facilitation of species conservation planning workshops to build capacity and enhance conservation planning for species at risk in Canada. Stephanie holds an MSc from Thompson Rivers University where she researched the impacts of road mortality on western rattlesnake populations in BC and has over ten years of experience in conservation and research with a diversity of threatened species in Canada and globally, including burrowing owls, tiger salamanders, northern leopard frogs, black-tailed prairie dogs, and Mauritian reptiles.
