Joint Meeting of Ministers, Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council and Wildlife Ministers’ Council of Canada

A history of cooperation  

There is a long history of cooperation on species at risk among federal,  provincial, and territorial governments. Through the designation of protected  areas, implementation of international wildlife agreements and a commitment to  biodiversity, governments have worked together on many nature issues.  

In the spring of 1995, officials from Environment Canada, the provinces and  territories held several public workshops across Canada to determine what should  be included in a national approach to protecting species at risk. This led  governments to develop the Accord for the Protection of Species at  Risk, which states that the goal of federal, provincial and territorial  ministers responsible for wildlife is to prevent species in Canada from becoming  extinct as a consequence of human activity.  

In October 1996, Wildlife Ministers agreed in principle to the Accord and  committed to a common approach to protecting species at risk that includes  complementary legislation and programs.  

In 1998, Aboriginal organizations, stakeholders, environmental organizations,  communities and individuals took part in two national workshops sponsored by  Wildlife Directors on draft plans for implementing the Accord.  

Commitments under the Accord  

The Accord lays out a number of commitments to protect species at risk. By  its terms, governments recognize that intergovernmental cooperation is crucial  to the conservation and protection of species at risk, that governments must  play a leadership role, and that complementary federal and  provincial/territorial legislation, regulations, policies and programs are  essential to protecting species at risk.  

Other activities  

In the past year, there have been a number of activities and developments  that further the spirit of the Accord in federal-provincial/territorial  cooperation on species at risk:  

   
• The first national compilation of species status assessments was released in  April 2001. The report, Wild Species 2000: The General Status of Species in  Canada, contains the general status assessments for a cross-section of  1,600 Canadian species from all provinces, territories and ocean regions. The  report is available at: www.wildspecies.ca  
   
• There were 76 Status Assessments of species by the Council on the Status of  Endangered Species in Canada (COSEWIC)  
   
• Work on 64 recovery teams covering 108 different species under RENEW  (Recovery of Nationally Endangered Wildlife)

More information can be found on Canada Wildlife Service's Web site at http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/