The Wildlife and Fisheries Branch is responsible for the administration of The Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act. Under the Act:

  • it is unlawful to kill, injure, possess, disturb or interfere with the species;
  • destroy, disturb or interfere with the habitat of the species;
  • damage, destroy, obstruct or remove a natural resource on which the species depends for its life and propagation;
  • endangered or threatened ecosystems are protected.

The federal government proclaimed the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in June 2003, resulting in the listing of a number of Manitoba species at the federal level. In the lead-up to this Act being proclaimed, all Canadian provinces and territories signed the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in Canada (the Accord). With its accompanying Framework for the Conservation of Species at Risk, the Accord established a mechanism for co-operation among federal, provincial and territorial governments to ensure that species at risk are protected throughout Canada. The implications of the Accord and SARA are significant to Manitoba. There is an increased obligation for Manitoba and other jurisdictions to develop programs for the monitoring and recovery of Species at Risk. The Wildlife Branch plays the lead role in coordinating Manitoba's input into the implementation of SARA.

The collection and management of information on Manitoba's species at risk is key to successful protection, management and recovery. Detailed records on Manitoba's animals, plants, and plant communities at risk, together with their known location, are maintained by the Manitoba Conservation Data Centre. The information is used to assess the conservation status of each species, predict the impacts of projects on species and their habitat, assist in conservation or development planning, support ecological research and monitoring, and for educational purposes.

The Wildlife Branch also represents provincial wildlife interests in national and international initiatives to conserve species at risk. In 1977, Manitoba signed on to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The signing parties act by banning commercial international trade in an agreed list of endangered species and by regulating and monitoring trade in others that might become endangered.

For more information, please view Manitoba`s Endangered Species and Ecosystems – Protecting our natural heritage – brochure.

Species Listed Under The Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act

Endangered:

  • Baird's Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii)
  • Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
  • Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)
  • Dusky Dune Moth (Copablepharon longipenne)
  • Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis)
  • Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)
  • Gold-edged Gem (Schinia avemensis)
  • Ivory Gull (Pagophila eburnea)
  • Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)
  • Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)
  • Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
  • Mapleleaf Mussel (Quadrula quadrula)
  • Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis)
  • Pale Yellow Dune Moth (Copablepharon grandis)
  • Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
  • Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
  • Poweshiek Skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek)
  • Prairie Skink (Eumeces septentrionalis)
  • Red Knot rufa subspecies (Calidris canutus rufa)
  • Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)
  • Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
  • Whooping Crane (Grus americana)
  • Uncas Skipper (Hesperia uncas)
  • Verna's Flower Moth (Schinia verna)
  • White Flower Moth (Schinia bimatris)

Threatened:

  • Boreal Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
  • Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagic)
  • Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)
  • Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
  • Dakota Skipper (Hesperia dacotae)
  • Golden-winged Warble (Vermivora chrysoptera)
  • Great Plains Toad (Bufo cognatus)
  • Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
  • Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)
  • Ottoe Skipper (Hesperia ottoe)
  • Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
  • Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
  • Sprague's Pipit (Anthus spragueii)
  • Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
  • Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus)
  • Western Hognose Snake (Heterodon nasicus)

Extirpated:

  • Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)
  • Grizzly Or Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
  • Kit or Swift Fox (Vulpes velox)
  • Long-Billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
  • Muskox (Ovibos moschatus)
  • Plains Bison (Bison bison bison)
  • Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)
  • Riding's Satyr (Neominois ridingsii)
Plants

Endangered:

Threatened: