Species at Risk Act: Report to Parliament, 2005.| Previous | Contents | Next | Stewardship and Public EngagementSARA recognizes that all Canadians have a role to play in conserving wildlife in this country, 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 conservation agreements and joint programming for species at risk. These provisions concern:
Stewardship Activities in 2005The government of Canada recognizes that the conservation of habitat is critical to the conservation and protection of species. The federal Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) was established in 2000 as part of the National Strategy for the Protection of Species at Risk, and allocates up to $10 million per year to projects to conserve and protect species at risk and their habitat. The goal of the HSP is to contribute to the recovery of endangered, threatened and other species at risk, and to prevent other species from becoming a conservation concern by engaging Canadians from all walks of life in conservation actions to benefit wildlife. Contribution funding under the HSP is intended to enable recipients to plan, manage and complete projects that will help conserve habitat so that an entire landscape or waterscape will benefit. Project results are expected in three key areas:
The HSP is managed by Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Parks Canada Agency, and is administered by Environment Canada on a regional basis. Regional implementation boards are made up of 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 HSP is available at www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/hsp-pih/. From April 2005 to March 2006, the HSP provided $9 million in funding to 152 projects that addressed terrestrial and aquatic species at risk issues. Of these 152 projects:
These projects addressed both habitat conservation and threat mitigation, and benefited over 300 species assessed as at risk by COSEWIC. Activities that received HSP funding in the 2005-2006 fiscal year affected 19,343 hectares of habitat through long-term protection agreements and 138,538 hectares of habitat through temporary protection agreements, and improved approximately 4,915 hectares of habitat. Approximately half of the funds allocated through the HSP supported landscape/watershed projects and multi-species projects. Partnership for Habitat Conservation The Missouri Coteau grasslands, located in south-central Saskatchewan, provide valuable habitat for many wildlife species. One of the most serious ecological threats to the Missouri Coteau is the fragmentation of native prairie grassland and associated wetland habitats. In 2005, Ducks Unlimited Canada received funding through the federal HSP to secure 1,167 hectares of remnant native prairie and associated wetlands in the Missouri Coteau through the signing of a perpetual conservation easement agreement. This agreement will protect precious native habitat in the Missouri Coteau in perpetuity, benefiting SARA-listed species including the Burrowing Owl, the Piping Plover (prairie population) and the Sprague's Pipit. Outreach and Education Activities in 2005The HSP supported outreach and education activities that engaged approximately six million people in 2005. These activities are essential to support the involvement of Canadians in the protection of species at risk. Over 10,000 people were also involved in monitoring, surveying and inventorying activities to support stewardship. In 2005, Environment Canada adopted a National Strategy for Public Engagement in the Conservation of Species at Risk. This strategy aims to encourage Canadians to take concrete action to conserve species at risk. It identifies three primary audiences: those who directly affect habitat (landowners, industries and governments), federal Parliamentarians, and Canadian youth. The strategy aims to encourage these groups to participate in Environment Canada conservation initiatives. In 2005, members of recovery teams and conservation organizations, as well as recipients of HSP funding, received training to assist them in developing skills to engage the public in species recovery. Five training workshops across Canada reached 140 recovery practitioners. Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the Parks Canada Agency also promoted stewardship and compliance by developing educational materials and activities in 2005. These materials, resources and activities included the SARA Public Registry, electronic information bulletins, posters, information sessions, learning activities, online resources, materials to support school curricula and other public education projects. Environment Canada's regional offices delivered information sessions and presentations on SARA to other government departments, provincial and territorial governments, non-governmental organizations, industry stakeholders, and landowners. Pamphlets on species at risk were developed and widely distributed to landowners, as well as to schools and conservation organizations. A Collaborative Approach to Wolf Conservation A diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from the Quebec provincial government, environmental organizations, farming communities, and a local hunting and trapping association, participated in a 2005 meeting to discuss conservation efforts for the Eastern Wolf. This meeting was organized by the Parks Canada Agency as part of an effort to initiate a stakeholder-based conservation project for Eastern Wolf populations around La Mauricie National Park of Canada, and provided an opportunity to inform key interest groups about wolf conservation projects and to address issues raised by each group. In support of this initiative, trapping and hunting organizations invited provincial officials to attend their annual meetings in order to provide background information on wolves and their distribution. Stakeholders were supportive of the proposed approach, and were willing to assist in designing and carrying out the wolf conservation project. This unique collaboration will continue to seek cooperative solutions to wolf conservation in and around La Mauricie National Park. In 2005, the Parks Canada Agency drafted and consulted on a national ecological integrity outreach education strategy. The results of this process provided a framework for species at risk outreach education that aims to:
Fisheries and Oceans Canada's SARA Communications Committee continued to actively develop and implement SARA communications initiatives and outreach programs across Canada. In 2005, the Committee developed a national SARA communications plan to increase awareness of aquatic species at risk with key stakeholders including the fishing industry, the general public, the media, environmental non-government organizations and Aboriginal groups. Web-based products and initiatives have also been important tools to educate and engage Canadians with respect to species at risk issues. Environment Canada, the Parks Canada Agency, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have developed, improved and maintained many web-based tools to inform various audiences of species at risk issues and to foster engagement in conservation initiatives. The Species at Risk web site (www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca) presents fact sheets on species at risk and suggests concrete actions that individual Canadians can take to help to protect these species. In 2005, the site received an average of 37,340 visits per month. The SARA Public Registry (www.sararegistry.gc.ca) is another important resource providing information to Canadians regarding SARA and SARA-listed species. The SARA Public Registry is discussed in greater detail on page 26. The Parks Canada Agency also maintains a species at risk feature on its web site (www.pc.gc.ca/nature/eep-sar/index_e.asp) that includes factual information on species and recovery efforts. It also includes a searchable database of species at risk found in Parks Canada Agency-managed land, and provides youth oriented games and activities on species at risk. The Parks Canada Agency has developed many other educational products and initiatives for species at risk at the local, regional and national levels. Local initiatives include newsletters, signage, interpretive programs, community outreach events, volunteer monitoring programs and community mobilization programs for species recovery. At the regional level, initiatives include curriculum material, pamphlets and flyers, a species at risk hotline and visitor information products. National initiatives include a strategic funding program to support outreach and education relevant to species recovery, the production of displays and promotional material and the production of web-based products and tools. In 2005, Fisheries and Oceans Canada's comprehensive national web site on aquatic species at risk (www.aquaticspeciesatrisk.gc.ca) continued to be an important vehicle to educate a wide audience. In 2005, the site was expanded and fully updated, and over 30 new species profiles were added. These profiles provide in-depth background on aquatic species at risk, the threats they face, and what Canadians can do to help protect and recover these species. Fisheries and Oceans Canada also initiated a wide range of outreach projects in 2005, including news releases, speakers' tours, and the production of materials such as backgrounders, species fact sheets, displays, events, videos, calendars, posters, brochures, species ID cards and activity books for children. |
