Waiting for SARA: the bureaucratic backlog amidst the biodiversity crisis.
Can we rescue SARA?
Amending legislation is tedious. Species at risk legislation is no exception. But when such legislation is finally enacted, it can be highly successful at conserving our most vulnerable species [1]. The Canadian Species At Risk Act (SARA) (2002) [2] brings governments, organizations, and individuals together in a united front.
SARA employs various mechanisms to safeguard species, including prohibiting:
killing, harming, harassing, capturing or taking a listed species (section 32(1));
and destroying or damaging its residence (section 33) and critical habitat (section 58).
No legislation is a silver bullet against extinction. Our neighbours have found that the U.S. Endangered Species Act [3] is estimated to have protected 99.5% of the species under the law's care from extinction [4]. That’s right, not 100%. Despite the robustness of such legislation, it's crucial to recognize its limitations. Species can still go extinct despite these protections. For instance, despite protections under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, five Australian species have become extinct. Similarly, despite SARA protections, 64 listed species in Canada experienced a 28% decline in populations between 2002 and 2014 [5].
SARA notoriously plays hard-to-get. One of SARA's notable shortcomings is its bureaucratic hurdles and lengthy processes [6,7]. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), made up of experts, assesses endangered species, but there are significant delays between designation and listing on SARA. Even after listing, there are often further delays in developing recovery strategies, despite legally binding deadlines. After COSEWIC designates a species endangered or threatened, years typically pass before the Canadian government begins the decision making process to potentially list the species on SARA. Once listed, a recovery strategy must be developed and critical habitats identified within 1 year of listing [8].
The bureaucratic backlog results in a severe bottleneck undermining the urgency of the biodiversity crisis. As of 2021, COSEWIC had designated almost 600 species with COSEWIC status, yet only about 450 of these were listed under SARA and only about 340 of those species had recovery strategies. In other words, only 60% of the COSEWIC designated species have any real protections in place under SARA.
Canada’s federal SARA was designed to be backed by companion Acts in every Province and Territory because it only applies to the 8% of Yukon that is federal land, or if the species in question is a federally managed aquatic species or migratory bird [10]. The Yukon, unlike BC or NWT, still lacks standalone species at risk legislation. To paraphrase our friends at CPAWS [11]: “Canada’s Species at Risk Act fully applies to only 8 percent of the Yukon’s land base, while the Yukon Wildlife Act designates just 5 percent of the territory’s species as ‘specially protected species.” Take a look at CPAWS full report here.
Despite deficiencies, federal SARA is still important. As the Yukon hasn't quite caught up with its own version yet, the main shield for vulnerable, endangered or threatened species in terms of legislation is still the federal SARA. While organizations such as YCS and CPAWS lobby for a Yukon specific SARA, we also need to fast-track Yukon’s rarest species onto the Canadian federal SARA list. Although this approach may not be ideal, given that many of our species migrate to other jurisdictions, not to mention it’s the only legislative tool we’ve got, this approach of lobbying for species to be added to the federal SARA is still important.
There are about ten Yukon species designated by COSEWIC that are waiting to be listed under SARA [12]. Here at YCS, we want to introduce you to six of them. Hopefully you’ll agree with us, and wingman our friends too. C’mon SARA, what’s not to love?
Hoary Bat, Eastern Red Bat, & Silver-haired Bat
Through the magic of acoustic monitoring, researchers have uncovered the Endangered Silver-haired, Hoary, and Eastern Red Bats in south-central and southeast Yukon [13,14,15]. With whispers of them spreading their wings further north, they're not just here for a casual flyby—they're the ultimate heroes in agricultural fields, swooping in to save the day as natural insect suppressors.
While they act all strong and tough, they are vulnerable too, with all three species facing existential threats. According to a recent COSEWIC Assessment, these heroic bats could see their populations plummet by over 50% within just 6-18 years due to wind turbine related mortality [16].
While their role in the Yukon's Boreal forest remains a mystery, one thing's for sure: the Yukon Conservation Society is their wingman. In mid May, YCS submitted comments supporting the addition of Hoary Bat, Eastern Red Bat, and Silver-haired Bat to schedule 1 of SARA to Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Canada.
With greater protection under the SARA, we can ensure that responsible wind energy facility regulation includes robust mitigation measures. Most bats are killed at night during autumn migration when wind speeds are low (below 6 m/sec). If turbine blades do not rotate at night during autumn migration when wind speeds are low (below 6m/sec) bat fatalities can be reduced by approximately 50% with relatively small losses to energy production.
Threats: [17]
Wind energy development.
Decline in invertebrate prey availability due to pesticide use, intensive agriculture, and loss of wetland habitat.
Chemical and noise pollution.
Loss of roosting habitat.
Climate change, although the mechanism is unknown.
Grey-headed Chickadee
This bundle of fun is almost mythical in the Yukon [18]. There have only been two observations in Canada since 2000 [19]. Grey-headed chickadees have been the talk of the town because a recent COSEWIC assessment has revealed that these sweethearts are sadly listed as Endangered [20]. This designation doesn’t mean a slam dunk for addition to SARA.
Once a species has been assessed by COSEWIC, further steps must be undertaken before it is added to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act. The COSEWIC assessment is hot off the press and has not yet been brought before the Minister for Environment [21]. YCS will be keeping a keen eye on this case.
Grey-headed chickadees mate for life [22] and are guaranteed to keep you warm at night with their extra plumage and special ability to put on fat quickly to endure high latitude winters in its nearly circumpolar range [23]. Go on SARA, give Canadian Grey-headed Chickadee a fighting chance!
Threats: [24,25]
Mostly unknown but could be attributed to:
Habitat loss.
Unsustainable timber harvest.
Climate change impacting freeze-thaw cycles and their ability to cache food.
Potential competition and hybridisation with Boreal Chickadees as their range shifts north due to climate change.
Bering Cisco
SARA, if you're dreaming of a cross-border connection (or a green card), then Bering Cisco might just be the catch you're looking for. This adventurous anadromous herring has a taste for international waters [26]. While it mostly calls Alaska home, you can find Bering Cisco along a 145 km stretch of the Yukon River, from the Alaska/Yukon border all the way to Dawson City.
When it comes to Bering Cisco’s Canadian population size, they are a mystery, but hey, isn't a little mystery part of the thrill? Historical catches suggest it is a rare find, with numbers less than 100 per year. But who knows, maybe you'll get lucky. They are relatively abundant in the Alaskan reaches of the Yukon river, however, traditional knowledge suggests they would travel and spawn much further upstream into the Yukon Territory [27]. Bering Cisco were first assessed by COSEWIC in 2004 as Special Concern [28]. In 2007, SARA swiped left citing a lack of Canadian specific information and no immediate plans for hydroelectric works in their Yukon range [29]. Bering Cisco was reassessed by COSEWIC in 2017 [30]. Fisheries and Oceans Canada had a consultation period before deciding whether Bering Cisco would be added to SARA ending in March 2020 [31].
Yet SARA still won’t bite, Bering Cisco are still waitlisted, seemingly held up by a bureaucratic back-log [32].
Threats: [33]
Incidental fishing.
Changing marine conditions.
Habitat degradation.
If you're ready to dive into the unknown and discover what lies beneath the surface, c’mon SARA swipe right and let's see where this current takes us!
Yukon Draba
Yukon Draba has endured its fair share of heart break. In 2019, the Minister of the Environment received the COSEWIC assessment of the Yukon Draba as Special Concern and started the decision making process to determine whether it should be added to SARA [34]. That decision making appears to be still ongoing. But even after being ghosted by SARA for 4.5 years and COSEWIC advising reassessment [35], this resilient relic of Beringia is even now looking for love.
SARA, if you enjoy cosying up in the meadows of the rain-shadow of the St. Elias Mountains, this is the herbaceous mustard for you [36]. Just be warned, Yukon Draba is a loyal friend sharing low ridge lines with bff Arctic Ground Squirrel [37] and values rodent mates before dates!
Threats: [38]
Forest encroachment.
Wildfire.
Road development.
Invasive species.
Trampling by humans & bison.
For more info about Species At Risk in the Yukon, including Endangered Species and Species of Special Concern, head here.
Footnotes
Species at Risk Act, S.C. 2002, c. 29
Congress, U. S. (1973). Endangered species act. US Code, 16, 1534-1544.
See Footnote 1.
WWF. (2017). Living Planet Report Canada: a national look at wildlife loss.
Ibid.
WWF. (2017). Living Planet Report Canada: a national look at wildlife loss.
Ibid.
Yukon species at risk. (2024, January 5). Government of Yukon. https://yukon.ca/en/species-risk#species-at-risk-in-the-yukon
Slough, B.G., Jung, T.S., & Lausen, C.L. (2014). Acoustic surveys reveal Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and Long-legged Bat (Myotis volans) in Yukon. Northwestern Naturalist, 95, 176–185.
Slough, B.G., & Jung, T.S. (2008). Observations on the natural history of bats in the Yukon. Northern Review, 29, 127–150.
Slough, B.G., Thomas, J., Lausen, C.L., & Kukka, P.M. (2022). New records about the diversity, distribution, and seasonal activity patterns by bats in Yukon and northwestern British Columbia. Northwestern Naturalist, 103, 162–182.
Ibid.
Gray-headed chickadee. (n.d.). Audubon. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/gray-headed-chickadee
Species at risk registry. (n.d.). https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/3024-2524
Deen, M. (2024, May 18). Grey-headed chickadee listed as endangered in May. CBC.
See Footnote 20.
See Footnote 19.
Alaska Department of Fish and Game. (n.d.). Gray-headed chickadee Species Profile.
See Footnote 20.
See Footnote 21.
COSEWIC. (2017). COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Bering Cisco Coregonus laurettae in
Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xi + 25 pp.
Yukon Conservation Data Centre. (2018). Yukon Species at Risk.
See Footnote 27.
Species at risk registry. (n.d.). https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species/501-546
See Footnote 30.
COSEWIC & Minister of Environment. (2020). Response Statement - Yukon Draba.