Species At Risk

The Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch is responsible for the administration of The Endangered Species Act. Under The Act, it is unlawful to kill, injure, possess, disturb or interfere with the species; destroy, disturb or interfere with the habitat of the species; or damage, destroy, obstruct or remove a natural resource on which the species depends for its life and propagation.

A list of species protected under the Act is availalbe on this site

The federal government proclaimed the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in June 2003, resulting in the listing of a number of Manitoba species at the federal level. In the lead-up to this Act being proclaimed, all Canadian provinces and territories  signed the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada (the Accord). With its accompanying Framework for the Conservation of Species at Risk, the Accord established a mechanism for co-operation among federal, provincial and territorial governments to ensure that species at risk are protected throughout Canada.
The implications of the Accord and SARA are significant to Manitoba. There is an increased obligation for Manitoba and other jurisdictions to develop programs for the monitoring and recovery of Species at Risk. The Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch plays the lead role in coordinating Manitoba's input into the implementation of SARA.

The collection and management of information on Manitoba’s species at risk is key to successful protection, management and recovery.  Detailed records on Manitoba's animals, plants, and plant communities at risk, together with their known location, are maintained by the Manitoba Conservation Data Centre. The information is used to assess the conservation status of each species, predict the impacts of projects on species and their habitat, assist in conservation or development planning, support ecological research and monitoring, and for educational purposes.

The Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch also represents provincial wildlife interests in national and international initiatives to conserve species at risk. In 1977, Manitoba signed on to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The signing parties act by banning commercial international trade in an agreed list of endangered species and by regulating and monitoring trade in others that might become endangered.

For more information, please view Manitoba’s Species at Risk - In danger of disappearing - brochure [PDF].