First Report on Status of Wild Species Released
NATURAL RESOURCES--First Report on Status of Wild Species Released
Natural Resources Minister Ernest Fage today released the first Internet-based report and searchable database on the General Status of Wild Species in Nova Scotia. The report presents important information on plants and animals that will help in conservation and resource planning.
Found at www.gov.ns.ca/natr/wildlife/genstatus/ , the report contains general status information for 748 species of plants and animals found in the province. It reveals that more than 56 per cent of the species evaluated are considered secure, demonstrating stable or increasing populations. Less than one per cent of the species are no longer found in the province or have become extinct as a result of human activity.
"This information has many uses, including land-use planning on Crown lands and for setting inventory priorities for environmental impact assessments in the province," said the minister. "This assessment is a first-alert system that highlights species in need of conservation attention. It also provides a solid foundation upon which to base future conservation actions."
Additional highlights of the report indicate about three per cent of the 748 species are known or believed to be at risk, while another eight per cent are sensitive to human activities and natural events. There was insufficient scientific information to assess about 45 species. The remaining 27 per cent of species assessed occurred in the province accidentally or are exotics that have been introduced deliberately or inadvertently by humans.
Additional general status information for about 1,600 species of plants will be included on the Web site by the end of this year. The general status assessments were completed by teams of volunteer experts familiar with different groups of species in Nova Scotia. Each species will be reassessed every five years.
The completion of the report fulfils a commitment made under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk, an agreement established in 1996 by provincial, territorial and federal ministers responsible for wildlife.
All parties to the accord must monitor, assess and report regularly on the status of all wild species. The assessments should reveal species that may be in trouble, those for which more information or a formal status assessment is required, or those that should receive additional conservation attention. The report also contributes to the objectives highlighted in the International Convention on Biological Diversity regarding identification and monitoring of wild species.
Provincial and territorial reports from across Canada are summarized in a national report that will be released soon.