Species at Risk – Federal & Provincial

Potential Approval, Permit or Code of Practice Requirements

Federal

• SARA Permits and Agreements

Explanation: The Species at Risk Act (SARA) provides for the legal protection of wildlife species to prevent wildlife species from becoming extinct and to secure the necessary actions for their recovery. The Canada-BC Agreement on Species at Risk 2005 creates an administrative framework within which BC and Canada can exercise their respective powers for species at risk protection and recovery in BC. If the species is federally managed (on federal lands, aquatic species or migratory birds) BC will provide knowledge to EC (Environment and natural resources), DFO  (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and Parks Canada. If the species is provincially managed (not the above), EC (Environment and natural resources), DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and Parks Canada will provide knowledge to the Province (MoE), who is responsible for leading recovery processes for provincially managed species at risk.

Authorizations (Section 73 Permit) are required by anyone conducting activities that may affect species listed in Schedule 1 of SARA, as extirpated, endangered, or threatened (e.g., scientific research permit) and which contravene the Act's general or critical habitat prohibitions (sections 32-36).

Section 78 enables the Province to issue permits affecting provincially managed species at risk, having the same effect as, and meeting the requirements of a section 73 permit.

• List of Wildlife Species at Risk

Statute: Agreements and Permits

Relevant Section or Regulation: Agreements and Permits

Regulating Agency: 

• Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Parks Canada
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada

---

Provincial

• Species and Ecosystems at Risk in BC

Explanation: The Canada-BC Agreement on Species at Risk 2005 creates an administrative framework within which BC and Canada can exercise their respective powers for species at risk protection and recovery in BC. If the species is provincially managed (not on federal lands, not an aquatic species and not a migratory bird), EC (Environment and natural resources), DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and Parks Canada will provide knowledge to the Ministry of Environment. The Ministry of Environment is responsible for leading recovery processes for provincially managed species at risk.

In British Columbia, specialists with the Conservation Data Centre, in consultation with other experts, assign species conservation status ranks. The Red and Blue lists provide a list of species for consideration for more formal designation as Endangered or Threatened, either provincially under the British Columbia Wildlife Act, or nationally by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). At the national level COSEWIC’s status assessments are the basis of advice to the federal cabinet on species that will be considered for legal listing under the Species at Risk Act. Draft or final recovery strategies for some at-risk provincially managed species have been developed and are available for adoption by the federal government for posting on the SARA public registry.

Statute: Wildlife Act, 1996

Relevant Section or Regulation:

• Section 6 of the Wildlife Act
• Section 34 of SARA

Regulating Agency: Ministry of Environment, Environmental Stewardship Division