Recovery Plans: Accord for the Protection of
Species at Risk
Recovery Plans try to map out what steps need to be taken
to allow a species, that at risk of being driven out of its habitat or dying
out altogether, to recover. Recovery
plans may be developed for:
·
Extirpated Species: a wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada,
but exists elsewhere in the wild.
·
Endangered Species: a wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or
extinction.
·
Threatened Species: a wildlife species that is likely to become an endangered species
if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction.
Recovery planning is currently mandated under the Accord
for the Protection of Species at Risk, a federal-provincial agreement. However, the Species At
Risk Act, once it becomes law, will require recovery planning for species
designated under that Act as endangered or threatened.
Recovering planning for an Endangered,
Threatened or Extirpated species under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk
occurs in two stages – a recovery strategy and
an action plan. Recovering a species involves identifying the threats to
the species, defining solutions that mitigate these threats and reverse the
decline in numbers or range, and implementing cooperative and
community-embracing actions to improve the species' status. The recovery process as developed by
the Recovery of National Endangered Wildlife (RENEW)
Programme is a means to coordinate a national response species designated as
Canadian Species at Risk.
The recovery strategy – the first part of a two-part
national recovery plan – provides detailed information and identifies goals,
objectives, challenges and strategies to overcome them. The plan is prepared by a recovery team
appointed by the various levels of government involved in managing the species
and its habitat. Recovery teams include
scientific experts, conservation groups, First Nations, and other interested
parties. Stakeholders, NGOs, Municipalities,
communities may participate on Recovery Teams.
A Recovery
Strategy:
·
identifies and provides the rationale for the goals and
objectives for recovery, and identifies the recovery challenges and the key
strategies to overcome them;
·
summarizes basic information about the species and the
rationale for the endangered or threatened status designation;
·
if possible, identifies the known, suspected and
potential survival and recovery habitat of the species, or indicates what
information is needed to make this identification [this information should be
linked with the recovery goal];
·
fleshes out the structure for recovery recommended in
the response statement (e.g., the number and geographical coverage of recovery
action groups, timelines for the production of action plans).
Once completed, the various
government agencies responsible will hopefully approve the plan, which is then
tabled at the Canadian Endangered Species Conservation
Council (CESCC). This plan will be
updated on a five year cycle, or more frequently if significant new information
warrants.
The exact scope and scale of
the recover plan depends on the species at risk, their geographic distribution
and the threats facing them. The
government has set out considerations for selection of
scale of recovery. Different
jurisdictions may use different but coordinated approaches for recovery of the
same species.
The second part of a national
recovery plan consists of one or more recovery action plans. Action plans are developed by the Recovery
Team, on its own or in conjunction with organizations recognized by the Team as
a “Recovery Action Group”. This is an
opportunity for community groups to become involved in the protection of an
endangered or threatened species.
Proposed
activities should correspond to objectives, strategic approaches and priorities
identified in a recovery strategy and should be developed in consultation with
the Recovery Team. The initial action plan might outline a number of research,
monitoring and management actions that must be taken immediately. Additional or updated recovery action plans
might subsequently be developed to achieve individual recovery objectives. An action plan that outlines a suite of
projects should cover a 5-year period.
An “adaptive management” approach should be taken, whereby evaluation
and revision, if needed, are ongoing.
Management Plans for Species of Special Concern
When it comes into force, the Species At Risk Act will require that management plans be
prepared for species that are not yet, but could become, threatened or
endangered. The plan must be prepared
within 3 years of listing as a species of special concern, and must include
measures for conservation of the species.
It may take a multi-species or ecosystem approach if the minister
considers it appropriate to do so.
Review of Recovery Strategies or Action Plans
In order to ensure that
Recovery Strategies and Action plans meet the needs of the endangered species
and the goals of the RENEW programme, recovery teams submit draft recovery
strategies or action plans to a Recovery Secretariat, an official within Environment Canada. The Recovery Secretariat is
responsible for arranging independent reviews of the draft documents and
posting the document for public review in public registries. The Recovery Team is given an opportunity to
address any comments from the independent and public reviews. After the draft is finalized it is up to the
individual government agencies involved in the Recovery Team to decide whether
they will approve the plan (unlike the Species At Risk Act which will allow the
federal Minister of Environment to finalize a recovery plan). If a government agency declines to approve
the plan it may ask for revisions to be made to the plan. Once approved the Secretariat will have the
strategy translated, formatted, printed and distributed, and posted in the Species At Risk
Registry.
Under the Species At Risk Act
there will be a 60-day public comment period for a recovery strategy, action
plan or management plan after that plan is filed in the Registry. During this period members of the public
should forward any concerns or comments on the plan to the Minister. Following the comment period, within 30 days
the minister must consider the comments received, make the changes considered
appropriate, and finalize the strategy or plan.
Related Guide Pages:
·
Endangered Species
·
Species At Risk Act
For More Information on Recovery Planning:
·
Species at Risk
website of Environment Canada. For information on funding to participate in
Recovery Planning, see the site’s Financial Support
page.
·
National Recovery
Working Group. A Working Draft Recovery Operations Manual. 20 November
2001.
·
Species
At Risk Act Public Registry website.
