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Yukon Species At Risk
Wood Bison / Yukon Government Photo / J. Bergold
The earth's plants and animals are going extinct at an alarming rate - a rate that some biologists have estimated at about 100 species every day. Many more species are at risk, including some that live in the Yukon.
Today, it is recognized that all life is linked together, that the survival of an endangered species is tied to the survival of its habitat and the other life forms to which it is linked.
- Mechanisms for Identifying Species at Risk
- Species at Risk in Yukon
- How You Can Help
- Additional Resources
- Contact Us
Mechanisms for Identifying Species at Risk
Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
COSEWIC is a national committee that evaluates the status of all wildlife species in Canada and identifies those most at risk. COSEWIC places species at risk in the following categories:
- Endangered: A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.
- Threatened: A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.
- Special Concern: A species with characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
CITES governs the cross-border movement of animal parts from species of international concern. Yukon populations of these species are not at risk today, but they must be monitored closely to avoid the problems that have occurred elsewhere.
Yukon Wildlife Act
The Yukon Wildlife Act (Regulations Section 5) lists several species as "specially protected" including:
- Cougar
- Gyrfalcon
- Peregrine Falcon
- Trumpeter Swan
- Chisana Caribou Herd
Yukon Wildlife Act 
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Species at Risk in Yukon
At Risk in Yukon (last date assessed by COSEWIC)
Endangered
Plants:
- Yukon Draba (Draba yukonensis) (2011, awaiting listing)
Threatened
Plants:
- Baikal Sedge (Carex sabulosa) (2005)
Birds:
- Barn Swallow (2011, awaiting listing)
- Canada Warbler (2008)
- Common Nighthawk (2007)
- Olive-sided Flycatcher (2007)
- Red Knot (roselaari type) (an accidental species in Yukon)
Mammals:
- Wood Bison (2000)
- Woodland Caribou (boreal population) (2002)
Special Concern
Insects:
- Dune Tachinid Fly (Germaria angustata) (2011, awaiting listing)
Amphibians:
- Western Toad (2002)
Fish
- Bering Cisco (2004, awaiting listing)
- Dolly Varden (2010, awaiting listing)
- Squanga Whitefish (1997)
Birds:
- Horned Grebe (2009, awaiting listing)
- Peregrine Falcon (anatum/tundrius subspecies) (2007)
- Rusty Blackbird (2006)
- Short-eared Owl (2008)
Mammals:
- Collared Pika (2011, awaiting listing)
- Grizzly Bear (NW population) (2002, awaiting listing)
- Polar Bear (2008)
- Wolverine (western population) (2003, awaiting listing)
- Woodland Caribou (Northern Mountain population) (2002)
- Bowhead Whale (Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population) (2009)
Under Review (anticipated date of next assessment)
Plants:
- Spiked Saxifrage (Micranthes spicata) (November 2012)
- Yukon Podistera (Podistera yukonensis) (November 2013)
Insects:
- Ashton’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus ashtoni) (November 2012)
- Western Bumble Bee (Bombus occidentalis) (April 2012)
Amphibians:
- Western Toad (reassessment November 2012)
Fish:
- Bull Trout (November 2012)
- Sockeye Salmon (Fraser River Drainage) (April 2013)
Birds:
- Bank Swallow (November 2012)
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper (April 2012)
- Northern Goshawk (atricapillus subspecies) (reassessment April 2013)
- Red-necked Phalarope (November 2013)
Mammals:
- Grizzly Bear (NW population) (reassessment April 2012)
- Wood Bison (reassessment April 2013)
How You Can Help
- Learn all you can about the status of wildlife species and their habitats. Start with the species that live in your region.
- Examine your own habits and lifestyle to ensure you are living a life in harmony with earth's other creatures.
- Contribute your time and financial support to groups that promote biodiversity and conservation.
- Encourage programs that monitor biodiversity, particularly those that focus on vulnerable, threatened or endangered species.
- Broaden your interest to include events in other parts of the world that may be affecting the species in your region. Global problems like disappearing species usually require global solutions.
- Teach others about the urgency to protect endangered species. Species at risk from human activities can only be saved with the support of an informed public.
Additional Resources
- Yukon CDC: providing species at risk data
- Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Canada - Species at Risk
- Nature Canada
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Environment Yukon Government of Yukon Box 2703 (V-5) Branch and Research Support Coordinator Email: fish.wildlife@gov.yk.ca |
