For many people, the phrase “endangered species” brings to mind images of exotic wildlife. Even if you live in Canada, these words likely conjure tigers living in India, the last northern white rhinos in Kenya, or koalas that survived the wildfires in Australia.
Knowing about wildlife and conservation issues from around the world is important if we are going to save endangered species. But it’s perhaps even more important for people living in Canada to know about the plants and animals we have right here in our own country that are also endangered. Because these are the species where our actions at home will determine if they slip over the brink of extinction.
Today we celebrate Endangered Species Day, which is a day to build awareness and action about endangered flora and fauna. It’s also an opportunity for everyone to learn more about the other species that live on our planet and the steps we can take to save them.
Canada has hundreds of endangered species at risk of disappearing from our country and from our planet. Officially, there are 685 listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. You will probably have heard of some of these, such as polar bears and whooping cranes. But the list also includes species such as the northern madtom (a fish) and the bashful bulrush (a plant) that will perhaps never be included on the celebrity list of endangered wildlife but are equally at risk of being lost. Sadly, the number of endangered species continues to grow each year.
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada is highlighting 10 species teetering at the edge of extinction. These plants and animals, found across Canada, are facing threats that include habitat loss, competition from invasive species and climate change. For most, our actions have not been enough to stop their decline. For others, we don’t even have a plan to halt their extinction.
That’s a problem because we know smart conservation action can save species. We have turned the tide for the plains bison and the eastern bluebird, for example. But we were too late when it came to the Labrador duck or the Dawson caribou. We desperately need emergency measures to pull species back from the brink, but we must also be proactive in keeping wildlife away from the edge of extinction at which point recovery becomes enormously challenging and risky (as we are finding with mountain caribou).
Many of the solutions to stop extinction and reverse the decline of wildlife are waiting for us to act. We all have a role. Some of these actions will be described on this new SHAPE of Nature website, where you can learn more about “edge of extinction” species.
10 Canadian species on the edge of extinction - SHAPE of Nature
Knowing about wildlife and conservation issues from around the world is important if we are going to save endangered species. But it’s perhaps even more important for people living in Canada to know about the plants and animals we have right here in our own country that are also endangered. Because these are the species where our actions at home will determine if they slip over the brink of extinction.
Today we celebrate Endangered Species Day, which is a day to build awareness and action about endangered flora and fauna. It’s also an opportunity for everyone to learn more about the other species that live on our planet and the steps we can take to save them.
Canada has hundreds of endangered species at risk of disappearing from our country and from our planet. Officially, there are 685 listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. You will probably have heard of some of these, such as polar bears and whooping cranes. But the list also includes species such as the northern madtom (a fish) and the bashful bulrush (a plant) that will perhaps never be included on the celebrity list of endangered wildlife but are equally at risk of being lost. Sadly, the number of endangered species continues to grow each year.
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada is highlighting 10 species teetering at the edge of extinction. These plants and animals, found across Canada, are facing threats that include habitat loss, competition from invasive species and climate change. For most, our actions have not been enough to stop their decline. For others, we don’t even have a plan to halt their extinction.
That’s a problem because we know smart conservation action can save species. We have turned the tide for the plains bison and the eastern bluebird, for example. But we were too late when it came to the Labrador duck or the Dawson caribou. We desperately need emergency measures to pull species back from the brink, but we must also be proactive in keeping wildlife away from the edge of extinction at which point recovery becomes enormously challenging and risky (as we are finding with mountain caribou).
Many of the solutions to stop extinction and reverse the decline of wildlife are waiting for us to act. We all have a role. Some of these actions will be described on this new SHAPE of Nature website, where you can learn more about “edge of extinction” species.
10 Canadian species on the edge of extinction - SHAPE of Nature