Allegheny Mountain dusky salamander COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 12

Existing protection or other status designations

This species is not yet designated in Quebec. It is currently on a list of species likely to be designated threatened or vulnerable (Gouvernement du Québec 2006). The species is, however, protected by the “Loi sur les espèces menacées ou vulnérables” (L.R.Q. chap. C-61.1), which prohibits buying, selling or keeping it in captivity.

Protection means have been developed for stream salamanders, including D. ochrophaeus, within the framework for forestry interventions in public forests and will soon to be applied to locations where the salamander is found. This provision will still have impact on private land insofar as it will affect adjacent habitats and groundwater.Furthermore, Article 22 of the “Loi sur la qualité de l'environnement” (L.R.Q, chapitre Q-2) offers protection against unregulated degradation of environmental quality.Whosoever undertakes construction or industrial activity that negatively affect a river, lake, pond, marsh, or peat bog must beforehand obtain a certificate of authorization from the minister.

In Ontario, owing to its recent discovery in the province, D. ochrophaeus is not listed as a species at risk on the 2006 SARO (Species at Risk in Ontario) list. The species is being considered for listing.

At the federal level, the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence population of D. ochrophaeus at Covey Hill, Quebec, is protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and listed as Threatened on Schedule 1. Previously, D. ochrophaeus was designated as Special Concern (1998) by COSEWIC based on the status report by Alvo and Bonin (1998). In 2001, the species’ status was re-assessed using COSEWIC’s quantitative criteria. As a result, D. ochrophaeus was designated Threatened (D2) due to its extremely restricted range in Canada, the isolation of its population and its susceptibility to habitat alteration.

In the United States, the range of Desmognathus ochrophaeus is large and continuous (Conant and Collins, 1998) and it is ranked as N5, indicating that the species is secure nationally.

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