More than 2,000 wild species face a high risk of being wiped out in Canada, report warns

A newly released report on the status of wild species in Canada has cataloged more species than any previous report — over 50,000 — and warns that more than 2,000 of them face a high risk of being wiped out in the wild.

The Wild Species 2020 report, compiled by researchers working for the federal, provincial and territorial governments, says it has delivered "the most complete understanding we have ever had on the status and distribution of wild species in Canada."

"A crucial step in preventing species loss is to identify which species exist, where they are found, and their status. That's why this national assessment, conducted every five years, is so essential," said Terry Duguid, parliamentary secretary to Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, in a media statement. 

"You can't do that without a solid baseline of knowledge. Knowledge is power."

The report — the fifth in a series published every five years since 2000 — includes data on the status of 50,534 of Canada's 80,000 known species, up from the 29,848 species covered in the 2015 report. The first report in 2000 covered just 1,670 species.

The authors of the report say they were able to record information on 63 per cent of Canada's wild species through the collaboration of hundreds of scientists working across the country for five years. 

Of the species contained in the report, 47,314 are indigenous to Canada, while 3,220 are "exotic" species introduced through human activity.

"Among the 3,220 exotic species identified, the taxonomic groups with the highest number of exotic species were the vascular plants, beetles, true bugs, and moths and butterflies," the report says. 

The report's authors said that more work can be done to determine the impact these exotic species are having on ecosystems across the country.

The report covers about 63 per cent of wild species in Canada — about 75 per cent of plants, 77 per cent of fungi and 29 per cent of microscopic wild species.

The three provinces with the most wild species are Ontario at 25,776, British Columbia at 24,540 and Quebec at 21,933.

The report identified 2,253 species facing the highest risk of elimination in Canada. They include beetles, moths, butterflies and species such as macrofungi and lichens.

The report says that of those 2,253 species, 105 are only found in Canada — meaning that their survival as a species is in peril.

"The number of species that may be at risk identified in the Wild Species reports has continuously increased largely due to the increased number of species included," the report said.