Badger CREDIT: John Pitcher

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Ontario's Endangered Species Act

Ontario's Endangered Species Act (ESA) came into effect in 1971. It includes provisions to protect listed species and their habitats and will ultimately form part of a federal-provincial safety net for species at risk.

Ontario's ESA, though, protects only some of the province's endangered species. While 15 additional species have received protection since 2001, as of November 2004 there were still many endangered and threatened species missing from the provincial list.

Many of Ontario's endangered and threatened species remain unprotected - bad news for species such as northern bobwhite, Acadian flycatcher, barn owl, American ginseng, and wavy-rayed lampmussel. Ontario Nature urges the Ministry of Natural Resources to address the deficit in Ontario's ESA.

You can find more information about threatened and endangered species and Ontario's Endangered Species Act at the following websites:

• Save Ontario's Species (SOS): www.saveontariospecies.ca
• Ministry of Natural Resources: www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/speciesatrisk
• Species at Risk Public Registry (SARA Registry): www.sararegistry.gc.ca
• Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC): www.cosewic.gc.ca
• Royal Ontario Museum: www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.html

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