It was recently announced that Toronto’s York University, in partnership with Wildlife Preservation Canada based out of Guelph, will be working side-by-side in the upcoming years in an effort to further preserve species at risk. Their attentions will be particularly focused on species that are deemed “most-at risk.” This is determined through the Species at Risk Act—enforced across Canada and growing in size in areas of intense human population, like Southern Ontario.
The species at risk list determines which species are most in need of the partnership’s rapid preservation and development.The species at risk list in Ontario alone encompasses over 200 species of plants and animals. Species find themselves on this list for a number of reasons, with emphasis placed on habitat destruction, road mortalities, and sheer human incompetence combined with intolerance. Species that are ranked “endangered” in Canada take priority, as their numbers constantly decline as surrounding civilization continues to grow.
Of interest to Southern Ontario will be the group’s focus on the loggerhead shrike—a species of songbird renowned for impaling its prey on barbed wire fences and thorns due to its weak feet; the Mississauga rattlesnake—Ontario’s only species of venomous snake; and the rusty-patched bumblebee—whose population decline has been widely noted in the media.
The partnership between York University and Wildlife Preservation Canada will see a combined effort in both studying and breeding, along with public interpretation of these species. The project serves as a unique opportunity for students to work with some of Ontario’s most at risk species. It also serves as a notification to the public that our environment and its diversity have been significantly altered by constant human development.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time such trends have been noted. It will most likely not be the last time either, as species, like the seemingly common snapping turtle, find themselves at risk and ranked as “special concerns.”
While the increase in urban development and road construction continue to plague the native species of Ontario and indeed Canada, knowledge of our impact on the wildlife around us is truly half the battle. Better understanding species for their fascinating mannerisms and importance to their ecosystem helps to generate awareness and can ignite a passion in those who may not have known about the species in the first place. Even in day-to-day life, there are things we can do to help these creatures; from spreading awareness and helping reptiles cross the road, to reporting sightings through websites along the lines of eBird and the Ontario Reptile Atlas, we are all capable of enacting positive change.