Limitations of threatened species lists in Canada: A federal and provincial perspective

Threatened species lists are valuable tools used to inform conservation decisions when developed appropriately. However, inherent problems associated with current listing and recovery processes exist in Canada (bias, legislative requirements, and data discrepancies). Canadian Species at Risk lists (national) and Nova Scotia's Endangered Species lists (regional) were assessed to determine i) coverage of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (global) listed vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered species; ii) recovery compliance; and iii) recovery plan completeness. Results indicated that many globally threatened species lack adequate protection nationally and regionally in Canada. Different taxonomic groups received different listing and recovery priorities. Mammals received the highest likelihood of listing and recovery action time, while fish were less likely to be listed. Many nationally threatened and endangered species have recovery plans, though most (141 species) were developed later than legislated. Environmental management related to biases, economic considerations, and late recovery planning (i.e., non-compliance) needs serious improvement in listing and recovery processes to enhance protection of biodiversity nationally and regionally within Canada.