Fish and wildlife indicators – Vertebrate species

The General Status of Alberta’s Wild Species process provides an initial assessment of all wild vertebrate species in Alberta and is updated every 5 years using the most recent information and research.

General status ranks help government and non-government organizations set priorities for conservation and land-use decisions and support development of species conservation and management programs. General status reports:

• provide information on which species are maintaining or improving their status and which species show a declining status
• highlight information gaps for species whose status is currently undetermined because they require additional knowledge or data for a reliable status assessment
• raise awareness of the current status of wild species and make species data accessible to the public

General status reports are informed by data provided by the Fisheries and Wildlife Management Information System (FWMIS), Alberta’s central repository for fish and wildlife inventory data.

The general status assessment assigns each vertebrate with one of 9 general status ranks (Table 1). Species ranked ‘at risk’ or ‘may be at risk’ undergo detailed status assessments by species experts which are then reviewed by the Scientific Subcommittee (SSC) of the Endangered Species Conservation Committee (ESCC).

• The SSC uses the detailed status report and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria to assess population trends, size and distribution of the species, and provides recommendations to the ESCC on the most appropriate detailed status designation (endangered, threatened, special concern or data deficient; Table 1).

Using input from the SSC, the ESCC makes a recommendation to the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, who in turn decides on a detailed status designation, which could include listing as ‘endangered’ or ‘threatened’ under Alberta’s Wildlife Act (Table 1).

General status ranks provide no legal protection. The Alberta Wildlife Act and related Wildlife Regulation provide protection for many wild vertebrate species. Species designated as ‘endangered’ or ‘threatened’ are protected under Schedule 6 of the Wildlife Regulation.

The next Alberta general status evaluation for vertebrate species will take place in 2025.

The national Wild Species: The General Status of Species in Canada assessment, also updated every 5 years, uses a different method, but is complementary to Alberta’s general status assessment and includes information on both vertebrate and non-vertebrate species for Alberta.

This indicator is based on vertebrate species data from the Alberta general status reports in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020. Data were compiled and then compared to assess changes to the general status of vertebrates found in Alberta.

This indicator focuses on the number of species in the various general status rank categories rather than on individual taxa.

Status rank improvements and declines are reported for changes between 2000 and 2020:

• Status upgrades were assigned to species with an improved status ranking. For example, when a species moved from ‘may be at risk’ in 2000 to the improved status of ‘sensitive’ in 2020.
• Similarly, status downgrades were assigned to species with a decline in status. For example, when a species ranked ‘secure’ in 2000 was assigned a status of ‘sensitive’ in 2020.

This indicator reports vertebrate species by their common and scientific names:

• Scientific names are standardized, unique Latin or Latinized names assigned to each species and used by scientists and others across the world to accurately identify species and communicate about them. Scientific names typically comprise 2 words, which are the genus and species name, respectively.
• Common names often differ across different regions and are changed more easily and more often compared to scientific names. More than one common name is often used for the same species, and specific common names sometimes refer to many different species.

General status rank definitions

Below are general status ranks and their definitions used in general status assessments of wild species in Alberta.

Secure – A species that is not a risk, may be at risk or sensitive.

Sensitive – Any species that is not at risk of extinction or extirpation but may require special attention or protection to prevent it from becoming at risk.

May be at risk – Any species that may be at risk of extinction or extirpation and is therefore a candidate for detailed status assessment.

At risk – Any species known to be at risk after formal detailed status assessment and legal designation as Endangered or Threatened in Alberta (Wildlife Act).

Extirpated or extinct – Any species no longer thought to be present in Alberta (extirpated) or no longer believed to be present anywhere in the world (extinct).

Not assessed – Any species that has not been examined during the assessment exercise.

Undetermined – Any species for which insufficient information, knowledge or data is available to reliably evaluate its general status.

Accidental or vagrant – Any species occurring infrequently and unpredictably in Alberta. For example, a species that is outside its usual range. These species may be in Alberta due to: unusual weather occurrences, an accident during migration, or unusual breeding behaviour by a small number of individuals. If a species appears in Alberta with increasing predictability and more frequently, it may eventually be given a different rank. Status rank changes for accidental or vagrant species may be a good indicator of general ecosystem or climatic changes.

Exotic or alien – Any species that has been intentionally or accidentally released by humans into Alberta or neighbouring jurisdictions that subsequently moved into Alberta.

Detailed status rank definitions

Wild species that carry a general status of May be at risk are eligible for a detailed status assessment and legal designation as follows:

Endangered – A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Threatened – A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Special concern – A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Data deficient – A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.

Species that are assigned a legal designation of Endangered or Threatened are assigned a general status of At risk.

This indicator provides a snapshot in time of the general status of vertebrate species as they were known to occur in Alberta at the time of the latest assessment in 2020.

• The number of vertebrate species reported in datasets like Fisheries and Wildlife Management Information System (FWIMS) and general status can change over time due to new discoveries, name changes or additional information on the origin of taxa, among others.

General status assessments use the best available data and knowledge for ranking. Data sources for the general status assessments are highly variable among species and range from published studies to observations or opinions by species experts. For the general status assessment process and a list of possible data sources, see:

• General status of Alberta wild species – Compiling and assessing biological attributes and indicators

Data sources and uncertainty for detailed status assessments follow a more rigorous scientific process and can include:

• standardized field methods
• multiple lines of evidence
• statistical analyses
• population modelling

Data availability and methods vary for each species with a detailed status assessment and are documented in the reports about Alberta’s wild species at risk. See:

• Species at risk – Resources

The general status reports are published every 5 years and are not updated between assessments. New data and information will be included in the next status report, and this indicator will be updated when the new status report is available.

The most current Alberta general status listings for vertebrate species are available at:

• Wild Species Status Search