Endangered Species

The Issue

In response to the increasing threat of biodiversity loss, Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) was mandated to protect and promote the recovery of the province’s species at risk. The ESA was once considered the best of its kind in Canada due to automatic protections for critical habitats. However, in recent years, a series of regulatory changes have dismantled the very purpose of the Act. Coupled with a poor track record of implementation, the Government of Ontario is putting the province’s species at greater risk of extirpation.

Ontario Nature is calling on the Government of Ontario to undo the regulatory amendments which weaken the Act and restore an effective, science-based regulatory regime for the protection of species at risk.

Barn owl © Daniel Hebert

Why It Matters

In simple terms, biodiversity is life, and all life on Earth relies on each other to survive. The complex, interconnected web of biodiversity contributes to vibrant landscapes and water systems, a livable climate, food systems, medicines, economies, cultures and identities. However, habitat loss and degradation, climate change, invasive species, pollution and over-exploitation of natural resources are driving the decline of biodiversity. In fact, we are facing the largest mass extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago. Globally, almost one in eight birds, one in four mammals and one in three amphibians are in jeopardy.

In Ontario, there are over 240 plant and animal species that are at-risk, a number which is growing. Their loss or decline affects the functioning and resilience of food webs and landscapes – jeopardizing the well-being of all living beings, including humans. Now more than ever, the Government of Ontario needs to restore the Endangered Species Act to fulfil its original mandate, rather than considering it as a piece of “red tape”.

American badger © Nick Myatt CC_BY-SA_2.0.

What We Are Doing

Ontario Nature has been advocating for stronger protections of endangered species for decades, and we don’t plan on stopping now. Here are a few highlights of our work:

Raising awareness through blogs, social and media releases
Restoring habitat for species at risk on our nature reserves
Collaborating with researchers and conservation organizations to evaluate the impact of restoration activities on at-risk species, such as a guide for prescribed burns
Developing long-term monitoring protocols to detect changes in population trends to inform species protections and listings, such as the snake long-term monitoring protocol, implemented by conservation organizations and community scientists
Working with experts to support informed responses to legislative and policy changes
Partnering with Nature Network members, communities, ENGOs and others to review proposals that threaten species at risk
Supporting community science by providing research on major infrastructure projects, such as the Highway 413 and Bradford Bypass proposals, where construction would cut across the habitats of species at risk and impair recovery
Submitting your letters to government through our Action Alerts

Small white lady's slipper (endangered) © Justin Meissen

What You Can Do

Sign our Action Alert to ask the Minister to restore the ESA
Stay informed about proposed changes to the ESA
Be alert to local proposals that may threaten endangered species and their habitats
Read our resources on local advocacy

Jefferson salamander © Scott Gillingwater