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Species at Risk Act

6 STEWARDSHIP AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

6.1 Background

SARA recognizes that all Canadians have a role to play in conserving wildlife, including preventing wildlife species from being extirpated or becoming extinct. The Act also recognizes that the conservation efforts of individual Canadians and communities should be encouraged, and that stewardship activities contributing to the conservation of wildlife species and their habitat should be supported to prevent species from becoming at risk. The Act therefore encourages stewardship and cooperation through provisions for funding programs, conservation agreements and joint programs for species at risk.

6.2 Outreach and Education

In 2006 and 2007, Environment Canada continued to use its National Strategy for Public Engagement in the Conservation of Species at Risk, approved in 2005, to guide its outreach and education activities such as the iconic program Hinterland Who's Who.  During the reporting period, species at risk were also included in many cases in Environment Canada’s broader conservation and biodiversity related outreach and educational activities. 

Environment Canada, in partnership with the Parks Canada Agency, provided training in public engagement to members of species recovery teams and conservation organizations.  Five training workshops across Canada (Lunenburg, Montreal, Winnipeg, Quebec and London) reached 109 recovery practitioners.

In 2006 and 2007 the network of national parks and sites developed educational products and initiatives for species at risk at the local and regional levels, including newsletters, signage, interpretive exhibits, trails, community outreach events, curriculum-based resources, volunteer monitoring programs and community mobilization programs for species recovery.  In 2007, following extensive consultations, the Parks Canada Agency approved a five-year strategic plan for ecological integrity and species at risk outreach education. This plan highlights three key strategic directions for outreach education: connect Canadians to their natural heritage, improve the state of ecological integrity and species at risk, and maximize the effectiveness of ecological integrity and species at risk outreach education.   

Fisheries and Oceans Canada continued, in 2006 and 2007, to develop and implement communications and outreach programs across Canada, with a focus on increasing awareness of aquatic species at risk. Key target audiences included the fishing industry, general public, media, environmental non-government organizations and Aboriginal groups. For example, the Abalone Watch Program encouraged Aboriginal fish harvesters and others along the Pacific coast to report potential Northern Abalone poaching activities to a toll-free hotline.

6.2.1 Websites

Environment Canada posted profiles of species at risk on its species at risk website (www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca), including actions that individual Canadians can take to help to protect these species. In 2006 and 2007, the website received an average of 37,340 visits per month.  

In 2006 and 2007, Fisheries and Oceans expanded and updated the national website on aquatic species at risk (www.aquaticspeciesatrisk.gc.ca), with more than 45 new species profiles. These profiles provide in-depth background on aquatic species at risk, the threats they face and ways Canadians can help protect them. By the end of 2007, the site was receiving more than 30,000 visits per month.

In 2006, the Parks Canada Agency maintained a species at risk portal on its website (www.pc.gc.ca/speciesatrisk), including information on species and recovery efforts. The website also includes a searchable database of species at risk found in lands and waters managed by the Parks Canada Agency, and provides youth oriented games and activities on species at risk.

6.3 Stewardship Programs

The federal government supports Canadians in their efforts to help recover species at risk by providing funding that fosters coordination and collaboration among participants, and encourages timely and effective action.  

6.3.1 Endangered Species Recovery Fund

The Endangered Species Recovery Fund, a joint initiative between Environment Canada and World Wildlife Fund Canada, was established in 1988 to support recovery activities for species at risk. A Scientific Advisory Committee reviews project proposals once a year from university researchers, conservation groups and others, and makes funding recommendations based on established criteria. Since 1988, the Endangered Species Recovery Fund has invested over $9.8 million in over 700 projects.  Each year, the funded projects contribute to the recovery of more than 40 species at risk.    

The Endangered Species Recovery Fund awarded more than $400,000 to 56 projects in 2006 and $650,000 to 46 projects in 2007. These funds supported research and education efforts by scientists and conservation advocates working to recover Canadian species at risk. More information can be found at http://www.registrelep.gc.ca/involved/funding/esrf_e.cfm

6.3.2 Habitat Stewardship Program

The federal Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk was established in 2000 as part of the National Strategy for the Protection of Species at Risk. The program allocates up to $10.0 million annually to projects that conserve and protect species at risk and their habitat. The goal of the Habitat Stewardship Program is to engage Canadians from all walks of life in conservation actions so that an entire landscape or waterscape will benefit. Projects focus on three key areas:

• securing or protecting important habitat to protect species at risk and support their recovery;
• mitigating threats to species at risk caused by human activities; and
• supporting the implementation of priority activities in recovery strategies or action plans.

The Habitat Stewardship Program is co-managed by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Parks Canada Agency, and administered by Environment Canada on a regional basis. Regional implementation boards include representatives from the three federal departments, provincial and territorial governments, and other stakeholders where appropriate. These boards provide advice on priorities, program direction and project selection for their respective regions. Further information on the program is available at www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hsp-pih/.

In 2005-06, the Habitat Stewardship Program directed $29.3 million (including matching funds) to stewardship activities that benefited more than 250 species at risk designated by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. With its 147 funding projects and 116 recipients, the program has raised the awareness of numerous Canadians. In total, close to 160,000 hectares of land have been protected.  

During fiscal year 2006–07, the program funded 152 new projects by 137 recipients, for a total of $8.8 million. This leveraged an additional $26.8 million in funds from other sources (in-kind and cash contributions combined) for a total value of $35.6 million. 

6.3.3 Aboriginal Funds for Species at Risk

The Aboriginal Funds for Species at Risk (AFSAR) Program comprises two funds: the Aboriginal Capacity Building Fund (ACBF) and the Aboriginal Critical Habitat Protection Fund (ACHPF). The ACBF helps Aboriginal organizations and communities across Canada build capacity to participate actively in the conservation and recovery of species protected under SARA and species at risk designated by COSEWIC; the ACHPF helps to protect and recover critical habitat or habitat important for species at risk on First Nations Reserves, or on land and waters traditionally used by Aboriginal Peoples.  Each year the AFSAR Program benefits between 50 and 100 species at risk. The Program is co-managed by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency, with the support of Indian and Northern Affairs and the guidance of the National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk. Further information on the program is available at www.registrelep.gc.ca/involved/funding/asrp_e.cfm.

In financial year 2005-06, the AFSAR Program provided over $1.2M for 45 projects. These projects levered additional funds that exceeded $488,000 (cash and in-kind). The 27 ACBF projects involved more than 11,700 Aboriginal people in 58 communities, and benefitted SARA-listed or COSEWIC-designated species through increased Aboriginal awareness of species at risk. The 18 ACHPF projects were conducted primarily on First Nations reserves. They involved a total of nine communities and benefitted species at risk through the development of strategies, guidelines and practices, or the completion of monitoring, surveying and inventorying studies.

In financial year 2006-07, the program funding and the number of projects financed almost doubled with nearly $2.3M being invested in 81 projects. The additional amount levered by these projects more than doubled, reaching $1.3M (cash and in-kind). The 36 ACBF projects involved more than 36,880 Aboriginals in 30 communities, and the 45 ACHPF projects involved habitat protection activities and more than 270 surveys and assessments.

Forked Three-awned Grass — Recognizing the Importance of Cooperative Stewardship Forked Three-awned Grass is a hardy annual plant that occurs in Canada at only a handful of sites. Christian Island, Beausoleil First Nation is home to one of the largest populations of this endangered species. The Parks Canada Agency and Beausoleil First Nation have partnered together to help recover this endangered species. An interpretive, three-panel outdoor display featuring Forked Three-awned Grass was recently built and erected on Christian Island to acknowledge the cooperative spirit and dedicated partnership of the Beausoleil First Nation community and Parks Canada Agency staff. Written in both English and Ojibway, the illustrated panels describe the species, its biology and the threats it faces. It also provides information on how the community can help protect this species at risk. This display is a testament to the commitment and ongoing partnership between the Beausoliel First Nation and the Parks Canada Agency in the recovery of species at risk.

 

Blanding’sTurtle— Species Recovery Through Community Stewardship Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site and its surrounding ecosystem is Atlantic Canada’s hotspot for species at risk. Fourteen species in the area are listed under SARA, including the Blanding’s Turtle, an aquatic turtle that has a long, yellow neck. Recovery efforts for this species include the establishment of a strong volunteer stewardship program that involves park visitors, local community members and local Mi’kmaq. Between 2006 and 2007, more than 200 volunteers helped to install nest screens to protect eggs from predators and protect female turtles who nest near roads. Together, these volunteers have worked almost 10,000 hours on recovery activities. In an amazing encounter in the summer of 2007, long-time park volunteers discovered a new population of turtles in an area adjacent to the park — only the fourth such population in the province.