Metadata

Identification Information:
Citation: Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council (CESCC). 2001. Wild Species 2000: The General Status of Species in Canada. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada. Edition: Version 1 Presentation Form: report and dataset

Description:
Abstract: The Wild Species 2000 report is the product of a partnership between Federal, Provincial and Territorial agencies to develop general conservation status ranks for a large number of species found in Canada. The report summarizes status ranks for 1685 species across eight taxonomic groups. A data CD forms part of the report, and contains a data set of the national, provincial, territorial and ocean region status ranks for each individual species in both an Excel Worksheet file and text file format. These data represent the first attempt in Canada to monitor the status of all of Canada’s wild species.
Purpose: The Wild Species 2000 report and data set reflect a commitment made under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996) by provincial, territorial and federal ministers responsible for wildlife, to prevent species in Canada from becoming extinct or extirpated because of human impact. As part of this goal, the Accord commits the parties to "monitor, assess and report regularly on the status of all wild species" with the objective of identifying those species that are of management concern or may be in the future, and those species for which not enough data exists to evaluate their status.

Time Period_of Content: 2000
Currentness Reference: status ranks refer to year during which they were compiled (2000)
Maintenance and Update Frequency: planned updates every 5 years
Description of Geographic Extent: Canada, including ocean regions

Keywords: wildlife, status, rank, species richness, species diversity, conservation, endangered species, exotic species, vagrant species, Canadian biodiversity

Access Constraints:
Raw data can be obtained from the data CD, in either Excel 2000 or text format. Raw data will also be available on the Wild Species 2000 website (http://www.wildspecies.ca).

Use Constraints: Users may not modify the raw data in any way. Citation information must be included with any products that derive information from either the data set or report.

Contact Information:
Lisa Twolan
Scientific Project Coordinator
Species at Risk
Canadian Wildlife Service
Place Vincent Massey, 4th Floor
Environment Canada
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0H3

Fax: (819) 994-3684
E-mail: wildspecies@ec.gc.ca
Hours of Service: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, except holidays

Contact Instructions:
For specific queries about the content of the report or data, please direct your questions to the contact person above.

Data Set Credit:
Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council (CESCC)

Native Data Set Environment:
Data is housed in Microsoft Excel 2000 (.xls) and tab-delimited text (.txt) format on the CD. The dataset will also be available on the website (http://www.wildspecies.ca). The report is available in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) and rich text (.rtf) format on the CD, and a limited number will be available from the Canadian Wildlife Service in hard copy.

Data Quality Information:
Status ranks were developed using the best available scientific data and expertise. Each province, territory and federal agency (Canadian Wildlife Service, and Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada). has verified the list of species for which they are responsible and the ranks associated with those species. Every effort has been made to ensure consistency among national ranks and provincial and territorial ranks.

Methodology Description:
Based on selected criteria (that included population size, number and occurrences, geographic distribution, trend in population, trend in distribution, threats to population and threats to habitat), each species was assigned one of nine possible status ranks. Provincial and territorial representatives compiled, interpreted and generated the status ranks for each species found in their province or territory. National status ranks for each species were established through the work of a national working group composed of representatives from all responsible provinces, territories federal agencies.

Entity and Attribute Information:
The data set is comprised of five species descriptor fields (ELCODE, SPECIES GROUP, SCIENTIFIC NAME, COMMON NAME and NOM FRANÇAIS), 19 status rank fields (CANADA, YT, NT, NU, BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, PE, LB, NF, PACIFIC OCEAN REGION, WESTERN ARCTIC OCEAN REGION, EASTERN ARCTIC OCEAN REGION, AND ATLANTIC OCEAN) and an information field (COMMENTS). Species descriptor fields allow the user to sort species into groups or search for individual species of interest. Status rank field titles indicate a geographic reporting unit within Canada (e.g. YK - Yukon Territory), and Ocean region (e.g. EASTERN ARCTIC OCEAN REGION) or Canada as a whole (CANADA), and the records indicate the status of that species for that location. Status ranks are defined as follows: 0 - Extirpated/Extinct, 1 - At Risk, 2 - May Be At Risk, 3 - Sensitive, 4 - Secure, 5 - Undetermined, 6 - Not Assessed, 7 - Exotic, 8 - Accidental. Further detail on status ranks can be found in the report.

Entity and Attribute Detail_Citation: Use full report citation to cite specific attributes in the data set

Distribution Information:
Distributor: Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service

Contact Information: Organiziation: Environment Canada Inquiries Centre Phone: (1 800) 668-6767 Hours of Service: 9:00AM - 5:00PM Monday through Friday, except holidays

Ordering Instructions: Hard copies of the report and CD are limited. Those interested in obtaining a copy of the report are encouraged to go to the Wild Species 2000 website (http://www.wildspecies.ca) to view the summary text and data or to download a copy of the full report. Requests for hard copies of the report and CD will be filled only while supplies last.

Metadata Reference Information:
Metadata Date: 20010314
Metadata Contact: Lisa Twolan
Contact Information: see above
Metadata Standard Name: Adapted from Content Standard for National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Metadata