Figure 1. Changes in species status following re-assessment by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario 1996-2022 (n = 182). Note: uplist means species has moved to a higher risk (more at risk than previous assessment), while downlisted means the species is moved to a lower risk category1.
Status:
- As of January 2024, there were 268 species on the Species at Risk in Ontario List. This represents an increase of 25 species since the State of Ontario’s Biodiversity 2021 report.
- Between 1996 and 2022, 182 species were assessed more than once by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO).
- Since 1996, looking per decade2, the majority of species reassessed showed no change in status 70% from 1996-2006, 62% from 2007-2017, and 64% from 2017-2022.
- The species uplisted went from 20% from 1996-2006, 26% from 2007-2017, and 9% from 2018-2022, while downlisted species were 10% in 1996-2006, 11% in 2007-2017, and 27% in 2018-2022. Reasons for species being uplisted or downlisted can be due to response and recovery efforts, increases in population sizes, distribution range, and habitat quality. As well, criteria regarding broader biological relevant geographic range, or improved knowledge may also affect the change in classification listing.
1 2018-2022 is 5 years because of data availability at the time of the report.
2 2018-2022 is 5 years because of data availability at the time of the report.
Previous versions:
Protecting and promoting recovery of species at risk of extinction is a critical component of biodiversity conservation (Favaro et al. 2014). The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) establishes the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) as the group responsible for determining the classification species at risk in Ontario. Under the ESA, COSSARO is responsible for: maintaining criteria for assessing and classifying species; maintaining and prioritizing a list of species that should be assessed and classified, including species that should be reviewed and, if appropriate, reclassified; assessing, reviewing and classifying species; submitting a report to the Minister in accordance with the Act; and providing advice to the Minister on any matter submitted to COSSARO by the Minister.
COSSARO uses the best available scientific information, including community knowledge and Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge, to determine whether a plant or animal should be listed as at risk. If a species is deemed at risk, the committee classifies the species into one of four categories, based on the degree of risk it faces (Table 1). Species may also be categorized as extinct, data deficient or not at risk.
Table 1. Categories of Species at Risk in Ontario.
| Status |
Definition |
| Extirpated |
Lives somewhere in the world, and at one time lived in the wild in Ontario, but no longer lives in the wild in Ontario. |
| Endangered |
Lives in the wild in Ontario but is facing imminent extinction or extirpation |
| Threatened |
Lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered, but is likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening it |
| Special Concern |
Lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. |
Species added to the Species at Risk in Ontario List as endangered, threatened or extirpated are automatically protected from being killed, harassed, captured, or harmed. Recovery strategies, for endangered or threatened species, and management plans, for species of special concern, are also prepared. Recovery strategies provide science-based protection and recovery recommendations, while management plans provide information regarding the biology of the species and advice on the approaches for reducing threats. Following the completion of a recovery strategy or management plan, a government response statement is prepared. This statement outlines the government’s goal for the recovery of the species and summarizes the prioritized actions the government intends to take or support for the protection, recovery and management of the species.
In 2019, amendments were made to the ESA including:
- allowing for the Minister to temporarily suspend species and habitat protections for up to three years for some newly listed species when certain criteria are met,
- establishing the Species at Risk Conservation Fund to allow for proponents to pay species conservation charges in lieu of fulfilling on-the-ground permit or registration conditions for certain species,
- changes to how species are classified as at-risk and how recovery policies are developed.
An amendment to the criteria classification was also made in 2019 where COSSARO is responsible to consider the condition of the species across the broader biologically relevant geographic range. If the species is at a lower risk outside of Ontario, COSSARO classifies it as such.
In 2021, regulations were also established and amended that enabled use of the Species at Risk Conservation Fund, established the Species Conservation Action Agency, and expanded conditional exemptions to enable more proponents to register their activities requiring standard approaches rather than seek permits or agreements from the ministry.
This indicator examines trends in the status of species repeatedly assessed by COSSARO to see if their status has improved.
To assess trends in the status of species at risk in Ontario, changes in species status following reassessment by the Committee on Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) were examined. Species are assessed approximately every 10 years, or more often if warranted.
Between 1996 and 2022, 356 species were assessed by COSSARO. Species that were assessed more than once between 1996 (the year criteria were established for assessing species) and 2022 were included in the analysis. Only species with an initial and most recent assessment classification other than ‘data deficient’ were included (n= 182). COSSARO criteria were used for all species reassessments considered in this analysis; however, there have been minor changes to the criteria throughout the years that may affect some reassessments. Criteria considered when making a classification assessment include population size, distribution range, habitat quality, threats, etc. In some cases, better information about the species will be a reason it has changed classes. The numbers of species that were moved into lower risk categories, higher risk categories or experienced no change in status are presented.
Data for this indicator were collected from COSSARO Annual Reports (2008 – 2022), COSSARO reports to, and data is maintained by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (1996-2022). COSSARO annual reports are available on the Ontario Government website (How species at risk are listed | Ontario.ca).
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