Species at Risk Coordination Office (SaRCO)


Species at Risk

The Species at Risk Coordination Office (SaRCO) was established in the fall of 2004 to provide recommendations on how the province addresses species at risk issues and to coordinate and accelerate recovery planning for three broad-ranging species; Marbled Murrelet, Mountain Caribou, and Northern Spotted Owl.

In order to appropriately coordinate the recovery and address the issues and threats facing these species, many broad-ranging land use issues must be considered. Consequently, SaRCO collaborates across government ministries and with various stakeholders to coordinate the recovery of Marbled Murrelet, Mountain Caribou, and Northern Spotted Owl.

In addition, SaRCO and the Ministry of Environment (MoE) are developing a comprehensive, credible, and defensible provincial strategy for the conservation and recovery of species at risk in the province. This new conservation framework will be a proactive, priority-driven approach, based on reliable science, which will lead to better outcomes for species at risk.

In fall 2008, SaRCO was transferred from the Integrated Land Management Bureau to the MoE in order to transition the coordination role to the MoE. At the MoE, staff will continue to move forward with the role of fully coordinating delivery of Mountain Caribou, Northern Spotted Owl, and Marbled Murrelet recovery initiatives, although SaRCO will no longer exist as a distinct entity.

The MoE is responsible for leading recovery processes for provincially managed species at risk occurring within British Columbia. Recovery planning is typically initiated for those species that have been assessed as being at risk nationally by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

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