Species at Risk

Glossary

Acoustic Tag

underwater sound transmitter used to track fish

Action plan

an action plan is a document that defines the projects or activities required to meet the goals and objectives outlined in the recovery strategy for a wildlife species

Aquaculture

fish farming

At risk

extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened, special concern or data deficient species.

Biodiversity

the variety of life, from genes and species to communities, ecosystems, functions, and processes

Carnivore

animal which eats other animals

Coniferous

cone-bearing trees that keep their leaves throughout the year

Conservation

the practice of protecting the natural environment - including wildlife, habitat, and the ecosystems they are a part of from loss or damage.

COSEWIC

the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, which determines the detailed national status of wild Canadian species, subspecies, and separate populations suspected of being at risk.

Critical habitat

the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as the species critical habitat in the recovery strategy or in an action plan for the species.

Data deficient

a species for which there is not enough scientific information to support status designation.

Deciduous

trees that lose their leaves at the end of the growing season

Ecological integrity

is a term used to describe ecosystems that are self-sustaining and self-regulating.

Ecology

the science of the relationships between living organisms and their environments.

Ecosystem

a community of organisms interacting with each other and with their physical environment.

Endemic species

a species native and restricted to a certain region; having comparatively restricted distribution.

Environment

The complex of physical, chemical, and biological factors in which a living organism or community exists.

Endangered

a species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Endangered spaces

coined by environmental groups to refer to threatened natural areas, such as tall- grass prairie, old growth forests and wetlands.

ESRF

the Endangered Species Recovery Fund, which supports scientific, conservation, and education projects that aid in the recovery of species at risk.

Exotic species

a species that did not originally occur in the areas in which it is now found, but that arrived as a direct or indirect result of human activity.

Exitu conservation

the conservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats.

Extinct

a species that no longer exists.

Extirpated

a species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but occurs elsewhere

Feral species

domestic species that have "gone wild.

Habitat

the area or region where an organism lives and grows

Habitat fragmentation

the process of dividing a continuous habitat into non-continuous, smaller subunits.

Herbivore

animal that eats plants

Historic range

those geographic areas the species was known or believed to occupy in the past.

HSP

the Habitat Stewardship Program, a program that encourages land and resource uses that support the conservation of habitat vital to the survival of species at risk.

Indicator species

a species whose progress is monitored by people as an indication of what is happening to the environment as a whole

Indigenous or native species

a species native to Canada

In Situ conservation

the conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural surroundings.

Invertebrate

an organism without a backbone.

Invasive species

a species that has moved into an area and reproduced so aggressively that it has replaced some of the original species

Migration

the seasonal movements of animals

Niche

the "place occupied by a species in its habitat, including the particular set of circumstances (chemical, physical and biological) that enable it to survive.

Nocturnal

when an organism is more active at night than during the day.

Not at risk

species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.

Organism

any individual living creature, either unicellular (eg, bacteria) or multicellular (eg, fungi, plants, animals).

Population

a group of individuals of one species, occupying a defined area and usually isolated from other groups of the same species.

Predator

an animal that kills and eats other animals.

Prey

an animal that is killed and eaten by a predator.

Range

the geographical limits of a species or group; a migratory species usually has both a breeding range and a wintering range.

Recovery

actions undertaken to bring a species back from the risk of extinction to a self-sustainable population level.

Recovery strategy

a document that outlines the long-term goals and short-term objectives for recovering a species at risk, based on the best available scientific information.

RENEW

the Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife, a strategy under which teams of experts develop recovery plans for species at risk.

Residence

the specific place that is occupied or habitually occupied by one or more individuals during all or part of their life cycles, including breeding, rearing, staging, wintering, feeding, or hibernating.

Restoration

returning a degraded ecosystem or population to its original condition.

Spawn

to breed; especially, to breed by releasing eggs and sperm into the water

Special concern

a species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Species

a group of closely related organisms which are potentially capable of interbreeding, and which are reproductively isolated from other groups of organisms; the basic unit of biological classification.

Stewardship

taking care of the land, air, water, plants, animals and culture in such a way that they can be passed on to future generations.

Subspecies

a geographically limited subdivision of a species that is taxonomically different from other such subdivisions of the same species.

Sustainable use

the use of components of biological diversity in a way and at a rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biological diversity, thereby maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations.

Telemetry

tracking system using transmitters and tracking receivers

Threatened

a species that is likely to become endangered if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction.

Vertebrate

an organism with a backbone.