December 15, 2014 - The Northwest Territories (NWT) Species at Risk Committee has released the results of the 2014 species assessments at a meeting in Fort Simpson, NWT on December 9-10, 2014.
Every year, the Species at Risk Committee assesses the status of species in the NWT. Species assessed in 2014 were western toad and wolverine.
The Species at Risk Committee assessed western toads as Threatened in the NWT. This long-lived amphibian is found at its northern limit in the extreme south-west corner of the NWT. Its limited range and small population size makes it especially vulnerable to threats. Major threats to the western toad are disease, habitat degradation and increased UV-B radiation.
Wolverines were assessed as Not at Risk in the NWT because there is evidence the population is stable or increasing across much of the Territory. However, there is evidence populations may be declining in the central barrens, which may potentially be related to declines in barren-ground caribou. The main threats to wolverine are low to negligible at this time. Increasing frequency and magnitude of threats, as well as their cumulative effects, could cause wolverines to be considered as a species of Special Concern in the future.
Details of the 2014 assessments can be found on the NWT species at risk website: www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca.
The Species at Risk Committee, established by the Species at Risk (NWT) Act, is an independent committee of experts responsible for assessing the biological status of species at risk in the NWT.