Conservation Status

B.C. List:

EXTINCT: Species that no longer exist.

RED: Native species, or subspecies that have, or are candidates for, Extirpated, Endangered, or Threatened status in British Columbia. Ecological communities that are Extirpated, Endangered, or Threatened in British Columbia. Not all red-listed taxa will necessarily become formally designated. Placing elements on these lists flags them as being at risk and requiring investigation.

BLUE: Native species or subspecies considered to be of Special Concern (formerly Vulnerable) in British Columbia. Ecological communities that are considered to be of Special Concern in British Columbia. Blue-listed elements are at risk, but are not Extirpated, Endangered or Threatened.

YELLOW: Species and ecological communities that are apparently secure and not at risk of extinction. Yellow-listed species may have red- or blue-listed subspecies.

EXOTIC: Exotic species are non-native species that have become established and/or naturalized in BC as a result of human activity. Exotic species are also known as alien species, foreign species, introduced species, non-indigenous species and non-native species. Exotic species are excluded from the Red, Blue and Yellow lists.

Not all exotic species are invasive. Many simply occupy disturbed sites (e.g. roadsides), and don't displace native species. Invasive species are (usually) exotic species that have moved into natural ecosystems and have altered natural ecosystem characteristics.

ACCIDENTAL: Species occurring infrequently and unpredictably, outside their usual range. Accidental species are excluded from the Red, Blue and Yellow List as a Provincial Conservation Status Rank is not applicable (i.e. SNA).

UNKNOWN: Includes species or subspecies for which the Provincial Conservation Status is unknown due to extreme uncertainty (e.g., S1S4). It will also be 'Unknown' if it is uncertain whether the entity is native (Red, Blue or Yellow), introduced (Exotic) or accidental in B.C. This designation highlights species where more inventory and/or data gathering is needed.

NO STATUS:When all subspecies or populations of a species are assigned to either the Red List or the Blue List, the species is not assigned to a List. For example, there are two subspecies of Mountain Beaver in B.C.; one subspecies is on the Red List, the other is on the Blue List. The species record for Mountain Beaver is therfore not assigned to a list.

In addition, most marine fish have not been assigned a status.

Ecological communities that have not been ranked.

COSEWIC:

EXTINCT: A species that no longer exists.
EXTIRPATED: A species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.
ENDANGERED: A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.
THREATENED: A species that is likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.
SPECIAL CONCERN: A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it is particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.
NAR = NOT AT RISK: A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.
C = CANDIDATE: A species that is on the short-list for upcoming assessment.
DD = DATA DEFICIENT: A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.

Provincial Status (SRank):

Provincial Status applies to a species' or ecological community's conservation status in British Columbia. The status ranks have the following meaning:

X = presumed extirpated
H = historical (species)/possibly extirpated (communities)
1 = critically imperiled
2 = imperiled
3 = special concern, vulnerable to extirpation or extinction
4 = apparently secure
5 = demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure.
U = unrankable

For a full discussion of the ranking sytem, how ranks are assigned and what all ranks mean, visit the NatureServe site.

Global Status (GRank):

A Global Rank applies to a species/ecological community across its entire range. The number in parenthesis is the year the rank was last reviewed. The ranks have the following meaning:

X = presumed extinct (species)/eliminated (community)
H = possibly extinct (species)/presumed eliminated (comm.)
1 = critically imperiled
2 = imperiled
3 = vulnerable to extirpation or extinction
4 = apparently secure
5 = demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure.
U = unrankable

For a full discussion of the ranking sytem, how ranks are assigned and what all ranks mean, visit the NatureServe site.