Indicator 15.1.1 Proportion of native wild species ranked secure or apparently secure according to the national extinction risk level

Proportion of native wild species ranked secure or apparently secure according to the national extinction risk level

No specific target

This indicator summarizes the risk of extinction for individual species in Canada. A species is defined as a population of organisms that does not usually interbreed with other populations, even where they overlap in space and time. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Canada

Percentage

The indicator uses data from Wild Species 2015. Every 5 years, a Wild Species report by the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council provides information on a large number of Canadian wild species to assess the general status of species and species groups.

National extinction risk levels are an assessment of the likelihood that a species will disappear from Canada (become extirpated). Risk levels are based on the rarity of the species, recent trends in population size and distribution, and the threats that are present. (ECCC)

The number of species assessed in the Wild Species report series has increased from 1 670 in 2000 to 29 848 in 2015. However, there are still many species left to assess; the vast majority of them are insects and other invertebrates.

Conservation ranks consider only the risk of extirpation from Canada. In some cases, large changes in population size or distribution may not trigger a change in rank. (ECCC)