Species at Risk in Fundy Biosphere Region
Biodiversity in Fundy Biosphere Region
Fundy Biosphere Region is unique due to the diversity of life within its boundaries. There are 4 unique ecoregions: Eastern Lowlands, Central Uplands, Valley Lowlands, and Fundy Coast.
These ecoregions are distinguished by geology, topography, climate, and soil conditions. Each region has unique characteristics ranging from higher elevation southern facing slopes that support dense hardwood forests in the central uplands, to moist old growth coniferous fog forests lining the coast that cascade down to lush coastal marshes in the Fundy coastal ecoregion.
One unique feature of this region is the expansive mudflats that are exposed below the world’s highest tides that support up to 95% of the world population of Semipalmated Sandpipers during their migration from North to South America.
Though Fundy Biosphere Region provides habitat for numerous forms of wildlife that we may encounter, several species found here do not have secure or sustainable populations. Many species are facing conditions that threaten their well-being, including loss or jeopardization of habitat by pollution, industry, etc. Once a population is recognized to be impacted, special designations in the form of a rating list are assigned to outline how best to conserve the numbers we have and how to protect them from further threats. These criteria identify several animals with habitat within Fundy Biosphere Region as species at risk.
What are species at risk?
Species at risk are those facing factors that could potentially lead to their extinction, resulting in their complete disappearance. Factors threatening species include habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, loss of food sources, and pollution. All species are assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and given one of the following ratings to assess the threat of extinction:
| Status | Definition |
|---|---|
| Extinct | A species that no longer exists.¹ |
| Extirpated | A species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere.¹ |
| Endangered | Species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.¹ |
| Threatened | A species that is likely to become an endangered if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction.¹ |
| Special Concern | A species that may become threatened or endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.¹ |
| Data Deficient | A category that applies when the available information is insufficient (a) to resolve a species’ eligibility for assessment or (b) to permit an assessment of the species’ risk of extinction.¹ |
| Not at Risk | A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk of extinction given the current circumstances.¹ |
¹ Definitions from COSEWIC Assessment Process, Categories and Guidelines.
In addition to the federal rating system, each province is equipped with their own regional rating system to further classify local populations. New Brunswick classifies species at risk using the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre (AC CDC) subnational ranking system:
| S-Rank | Meaning | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| SX | Presumed Extirpated | Species or community is believed to be extirpated from the province. Not located despite intensive searches of historical sites and other appropriate habitat, and virtually no likelihood that it will be rediscovered.² |
| S1 | Critically Imperiled | Critically imperiled in the province because of extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer occurrences) or because of some factor(s) such as very steep declines making it especially vulnerable to extirpation from the province.² |
| S2 | Imperiled | Imperiled in the province because of rarity due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors making it very vulnerable to extirpation from the province.² |
| S3 | Vulnerable | Vulnerable in the province due to a restricted range, relatively few populations (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors making it vulnerable to extirpation.² |
| S4 | Apparently Secure | Uncommon but not rare; some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors.² |
| S5 | Secure | Common, widespread, and abundant in the province.² |
² Definitions from AC CDC.
Additional qualifiers in the following sections are based on the provincial rating system and include: B, which indicates the status refers to the breeding population; N, which indicates the status refers specifically to the non-breeding population; and M, which indicates migrant species and that the status refers to the aggregating transient population of the species.
Terrestrial and Aquatic Species at Risk
The following section will demonstrate the expected habitat ranges (not the current distribution) of 25 terrestrial and freshwater species and 7 aquatic saltwater species for all or part of their lifecycle that intersect within the Fundy Biosphere Region. Terrestrial and freshwater species include the following taxa: arthropods, birds, lichens, reptiles, and vascular plants. Aquatic saltwater species include the following taxa: fish, mammals, molluscs, and reptiles.
Although not every species of conservation concern is included, the following subset represents the most prevalent ecosystems in the region, with each species’ conservation status, biology, threats, and additional information provided.
