OTTAWA, August 14, 2007
- The Honourable John Baird, Minister of
the Environment, in consultation with the
Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries
and Oceans, today announced his recommendation
to add 36 animals, plants and fish to the
list of species protected under the Species
at Risk Act (SARA).
The proposals to amend the list of protected
species were published in the Canada Gazette,
Part 1, on August 11, 2007. Canadians will
have until September 10, 2007 to provide
comments about the listing recommendations.
A final decision regarding the listing of
these species will be made by January 26,
2008.
The recommendation to add new species to
the list of species at risk under SARA is
based on scientific assessments by the Committee
on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in
Canada (COSEWIC) and on consultations with
governments, landowners, conservationists,
Aboriginal peoples, stakeholders and the
Canadian public. COSEWIC, an independent
scientific body, assesses the biological
status and risk of extinction of species
using the best available scientific, community,
and Aboriginal traditional knowledge.
The Minister of the Environment is recommending
that 30 terrestrial and 6 aquatic species
be listed. These include birds, reptiles,
arthropods, plants, mosses and lichens,
fish, and mammals. Listing under the Act
helps to protect and recover species at
risk, maintaining biodiversity and healthy
populations of wildlife. In Budget 2007,
Canada’s New Government committed $110 million
over two years to the implementation of
the Species at Risk Act. The implementation
of the Species at Risk Act reinforces the
Government of Canada’s commitment to ensuring
the protection for species at risk.
The Government encourages Canadians to
comment on these listing recommendations
by September 10, 2007. All information is
available in the Canada Gazette.
More information regarding the Species
at Risk Act is available on the SARA Public
Registry on the Internet at: www.sararegistry.gc.ca.
Information on the protection of Species
at Risk in Canada, can be found on the Internet
at: www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca.
Eric Richer
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
