NWT Species at Risk

This engagement opportunity is now closed. Thank you for your comments! 

Listing decisions for hairy braya and red-sided garter snake are expected by August 2025.

Listing proposals

Hairy braya is identified for re-listing as Threatened on the NWT List of Species at Risk. This plant species was reassessed in April 2024. A status of Threatened means it could become Endangered if nothing is done.

Red-sided garter snake is identified for listing on the NWT List of Species at Risk. This species was assessed for the first time in April 2024 as a species of Special Concern, which means it is at risk of becoming Threatened or Endangered.

• Fact sheets:
  • Hairy braya (English) (French)
  • Red-sided garter snake (English) (French)

Please consider the following questions when providing comments:

Hairy braya

• Should hairy braya continue to be listed as Threatened on the NWT List of Species at Risk? Why or why not?
• Hairy braya was first listed as a Threatened species in the NWT in 2014 and a recovery strategy was completed in 2016. How has the listing affected you or your community? Would the re-listing have positive or negative impacts? What would they be?
• Is there new or missing information that was not considered in the latest status report for this species? If so, can you provide it to us or tell us where to find it?

Red-sided garter snake

• Should red-sided garter snake be added to the NWT List of Species at Risk as a species of Special Concern? Why or why not?
• Would listing this species have positive or negative impacts for you and your community? What would they be?
• Is there new or missing information that was not considered in the status report for this species? If so, can you provide it to us or tell us where to find it?

How can I share my comments?

All NWT residents are invited to submit comments on the assessments and potential listing of hairy braya and red-sided garter snake by November 1, 2024.

• Take our surveys
  • Hairy braya listing (English) (French)
  • Red-sided garter snake listing (English) (French)
• Send an email
• Give us a call

You can also reach the Conference of Management Authorities by contacting:

NWT Species at Risk Secretariat
PO Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9
Phone (toll-free): 1-855-783-4301
Fax: 1-867-669-0905
Email: SARA@gov.nt.ca

Next steps

The Conference of Management Authorities will meet in December 2024 and February 2025 to consider all comments received. A summary of the information used by each Management Authority to make its decision will be found in the consensus agreement on listing for each species.

Listing decisions for hairy braya and red-sided garter snake are expected by July 2025.

Links

Hairy braya

• About hairy braya
• Fact sheet (English) (French)
• Status Report and Reassessment of Hairy Braya in the NWT (2024)
• Réévaluation du braya poilu aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest (2024)

Red-sided garter snake

• About red-sided garter snake
• Fact sheet (English) (French)
• Status Report and Assessment of Red-sided Garter Snake in the NWT (2024)
• Évaluation de la couleuvre rayée à flancs rouges aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest (2024)

The Northwest Territories (NWT) Species at Risk Committee (SARC) has reassessed the biological status of two amphibian species in the NWT. Northern leopard frog was assessed as Endangered and western toad was assessed as Threatened under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act.

SARC conducts detailed status assessments to determine if species are in danger of disappearing from the NWT. SARC previously assessed northern leopard frog and western toad in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The 2025 status assessments for the two species highlighted the small area of the NWT where these species occur and the sensitivity of these species to increasing threats from disease, habitat loss from drought and wildfire, and human disturbances such as hydro development and road mortality. On a global scale, 41% of amphibian species were listed as Threatened or Endangered in 2023 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Like most amphibians in the NWT, northern leopard frogs and western toads are at the northern limit of their range. Northern leopard frogs are uncommon in the NWT, and have only been found near the Slave, Taltson and Tethul rivers in the southern NWT. These frogs are part of a small population of northern leopard frogs that is isolated from other populations in North America.

In the NWT, western toads are only found in the Liard River basin of the Dehcho region. These toads are at the northern edge of a larger population.

A third amphibian species, Canadian toad, was also scheduled for assessment in 2025. However, all confirmed observations of Canadian toad occur within Wood Buffalo National Park. National Park lands are under the jurisdiction of the Government of Canada and, therefore, responsibility of the Canadian toad does not fall to the Conference of Management Authorities. As a result, Canadian toad was not assessed but will be reconsidered if there are observations outside of Wood Buffalo National Park.

Following the review of the status report and recent assessments of western toad and northern leopard frog, SARC has made several recommendations, including:

• Promote research, including documentation of Indigenous and community knowledge, to fill knowledge gaps on all aspects of amphibian breeding sites, population trends, habitat and threats. Although there was some new information available for this assessment, there are still large gaps in knowledge.
• Investigate Canadian toad occurrences beyond the boundary of Wood Buffalo National Park, along Highway 5 towards Fort Smith.
• Encourage continued implementation of best practices for studying/researching amphibians to avoid disease transmission.
• Implement and enforce protection for known breeding sites.
• Ensure that information and advice regarding important amphibian habitat is provided for consideration in the regulatory process, as appropriate.
• Continue to educate the public to raise awareness of amphibians, their habitat, and the threats they face.
• Encourage people to share observations of amphibians on iNaturalist.ca or report observations to WildlifeObs@gov.nt.ca.

SARC presented its assessments and recommendations to the Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) on May 21, 2025. The CMA will now engage with NWT communities and decide if northern leopard frog should be listed as Endangered on the NWT List of Species at Risk and whether western toad should continue to be listed as a Threatened species.

The full 2025 assessments with recommendations can be found here:

• Status Report and Assessment of Canadian Toad, Western Toad and Northern Leopard Frog in the NWT (2025)

For more information contact:

Species at Risk Committee

PO Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT  X1A 2L9

Email: SARA@gov.nt.ca

Toll-free: 1 (855) 783-4301

The Progress Report on the Recovery of Wood Bison in the Northwest Territories (2020-2024) was released today by the Conference of Management Authorities in coordination with the Mackenzie, Nahanni and Slave River Lowlands bison working groups.

The report details key actions taken across the NWT to implement the Recovery Strategy for Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) in the Northwest Territories, including regular population surveys, ongoing harvest management, anthrax surveillance and response, maintenance of a Bison Control Area to prevent the spread of disease, and efforts to reduce the number of road collisions with bison.

Wood bison are currently listed as a Threatened species in both the NWT and Canada. Wood bison in the NWT are scheduled for reassessment by the Species at Risk Committee in 2026.

Progress reporting is required every five years for species listed under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act. This is the first progress report for wood bison in the Northwest Territories.

The full progress report and additional information on wood bison and other NWT species at risk are available at: www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca.

For more information contact:

Jody Pellissey, Chairperson

Conference of Management Authorities

c/o NWT Species at Risk Secretariat

Phone: (867) 767-9237 ext. 53215

Email: SARA@gov.nt.ca

Photo: Terry Armstrong, GNWT

BACKGROUND:

• There are three free-ranging wood bison populations in the NWT: the Mackenzie population, the Nahanni population and the Greater Wood Buffalo metapopulation (which includes bison in the Slave River Lowlands). Both the Mackenzie and Nahanni bison populations were introduced to the NWT as part of efforts to re-establish wood bison on their historic range.
• Wood bison were listed as Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act in 2003 and under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act in 2017. In the NWT, the relatively small population size and declines were factors in the assessment and listing decision.
• The Recovery Strategy for Wood Bison in the Northwest Territories was completed in 2019 to guide the overall conservation and recovery of wood bison in the NWT.
• The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) is the group of wildlife co-management boards and governments that share management responsibility for the conservation and recovery of species at risk in the NWT.
• Three working groups established to develop population-specific management plans for Mackenzie, Nahanni and Slave River Lowlands bison play a crucial role in implementing management actions, as well as bringing their organizations’ perspectives into decision-making about wood bison.
• The 2020-2024 progress report includes nearly 60 actions and approaches taken over five years to support the recovery of NWT wood bison.
• Wood bison are one of twelve species identified as “at risk” of disappearing from the NWT and legally listed under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act. The NWT List of Species at Risk includes one Endangered species, seven Threatened species, and four species identified as SpecialConcern.

LINKS:

• Progress Report on the Recovery of Wood Bison in the Northwest Territories (2020-2024)
• Recovery Strategy for Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) in the Northwest Territories
• Wood bison (webpage - NWT Species at Risk)
• Wood bison (webpage - GNWT

The Conference of Management Authorities, established under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act to manage and recover species at risk in the Northwest Territories (NWT), has reached agreement on the implementation of the Recovery Strategy for Peary Caribou in the Northwest Territories.

Peary caribou are listed as a Threatened species in both the NWT and in Canada. The NWT recovery strategy, released in July 2024, is the result of a collaborative effort by wildlife management authorities responsible for Peary caribou in the NWT. It is based on Canada’s national recovery strategy for Peary caribou (2022) and shares the same population and distribution objectives as the national strategy. The NWT strategy also points to updated information available in the 2022 NWT species status report and highlights work that is already underway to conserve Peary caribou in the NWT.

The implementation agreement identifies the actions the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) and the Government of the Northwest Territories intend to take to put the recovery strategy into action. Successful conservation of Peary caribou in the NWT will depend on the commitment and cooperation of the many different groups with responsibility for wildlife management in the NWT, together with residents and visitors. Progress on implementation will be reported on every five years, as required under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act.

Additional species information and supporting documents, including status reports, assessments and consensus agreements, are available at www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca.

For more information contact:

Jody Pellissey, Chairperson

Conference of Management Authorities

c/o NWT Species at Risk Secretariat

Phone: (867) 767-9237 ext. 53215

Email: SARA@gov.nt.ca

Photo: John Nagy, GNWT

BACKGROUND:

• Peary caribou live in small groups on the Arctic islands of the NWT and Nunavut. Populations declined steeply between the 1960s and the 1990s. The decline was followed by a period of sustained low numbers; however, there is recent evidence of an increase.
• The Recovery Strategy for Peary Caribou in the Northwest Territories provides guidance on the conservation and long-term recovery of Peary caribou in the NWT.
• The NWT recovery strategy includes the national recovery strategy (2022) and an NWT addition developed by the Conference of Management Authorities on Species at Risk (CMA). Indigenous governments and Indigenous organizations as well as NWT residents were invited to provide input on the NWT recovery strategy.
• The CMA is made up of the wildlife co-management boards and governments that share responsibility for wildlife in the NWT. Management authorities for Peary caribou in the NWT are the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) and the Government of the Northwest Territories. 
• There are no automatic prohibitions or protections for Peary caribou, or its habitat, associated with the implementation of the recovery strategy. The recovery strategy does not change quotas, by-laws or regulations already in place.
• Implementation of the recovery strategy is subject to appropriations, priorities and budgetary constraints of the management authorities.

LINKS:

• About Peary caribou
• Recovery Strategy for Peary Caribou in the Northwest Territories (2024)
• Status Report and Assessment of Peary Caribou in the NWT (2022)
• Conference of Management Authorities
• NWT List of Species at Risk 

The NWT Species Conservation and Recovery Fund provides funding for projects that support the long-term conservation, recovery and protection of species that are at risk in the NWT.

Applications for funding for 2025-2026 projects (beginning April 1, 2025) are being accepted from January 15 to March 1, 2025.

Please submit your completed application form if you have an idea for a project that:

• Addresses threats to species, habitats, landscapes, or ecosystems
• Fills knowledge gaps related to species, habitats, or threats
• Contributes to outreach, education, and awareness about species

Apply now! The application package is available here (also available in French).

For more information, please see the NWT Species Conservation and Recovery Fund web page or read the brochure.

Photo: Northern leopard frog, Leslie Bol

The Conference of Management Authorities, established under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act to manage and recover species at risk in the Northwest Territories (NWT), has decided not to add American white pelican to the NWT List of Species at Risk.

In 2023, the Species at Risk Committee assessed American white pelican as a species of Special Concern in the NWT. This means the species may become Threatened or Endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. Although white pelican populations are increasing in the NWT and across Canada, the Committee found the species to be at risk in the NWT due to its very small area of occupancy (currently only one known nesting location) and vulnerability to disease and parasite outbreaks.

The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) recognizes that American white pelican is a valued species for many NWT residents and an important part of the NWT’s biodiversity. The CMA supports local efforts to monitor and conserve pelicans.

However, the CMA found there is insufficient information to conclude that diseases are a priority driver of vulnerability for American white pelicans in the NWT. Additionally, given that the Slave River colony nests outside of the NWT in Alberta, listing the species under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act would not enable conservation measures or management planning for the population’s nesting area.

 The Conference of Management Authorities encourages partners in the NWT and Alberta to continue their important and collaborative work to conserve and raise awareness of the American white pelican and reduce the threats of human disturbance.

Photo: John David Mackinnon

Quick facts

• American white pelicans occur largely in the southern NWT near Fort Smith. They are part of the Slave River colony, which nests in northern Alberta at the very northern edge of the species’ global range.
• The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) is the group of wildlife co-management boards and governments that share management responsibility for the conservation and recovery of species at risk in the NWT. All CMA decisions are made by consensus of the Management Authorities.
• The management authority for American white pelican in the NWT is the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Links

• About American white pelican
• Status Report and Assessment of American white pelican in the NWT (2023)
• Consensus Agreement on Not Listing American White Pelican (2024) with reasons for the inconsistency with SARC’s assessment

The Conference of Management Authorities has released a strategy to guide the long-term conservation and recovery of Peary caribou, a Threatened species in the Northwest Territories (NWT).

Peary caribou live in small groups on the Arctic islands of the NWT and Nunavut and require large areas of land and sea ice to thrive. Their populations declined steeply between the 1960s and the 1990s. Over the last 20 years there have been sustained low numbers; however, there is recent evidence of an increase in numbers on the Queen Elizabeth Islands and Banks Island.

The Recovery Strategy for Peary Caribou in the Northwest Territories is the result of a collaborative effort by wildlife management authorities responsible for Peary caribou in the NWT. It is based on the Government of Canada’s recovery strategy for Peary caribou, released in 2022, and shares the same population and distribution objectives as the national strategy. The NWT strategy also points to updated information available in the 2022 NWT species status report and highlights work that is already underway to conserve Peary caribou in the NWT.

There are no automatic prohibitions or protections as part of the recovery strategy. The recovery strategy does not change quotas, by-laws or regulations already in place. Successful recovery of Peary caribou in the NWT will depend on the commitment and cooperation of the groups with responsibility for the management of land, water and wildlife in the NWT, together with communities. Progress on implementation will be reported on every five years, as required under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act.

The Conference of Management Authorities has until April 29, 2025, to develop a consensus agreement identifying the actions they plan to take to implement the recovery strategy.

Management authorities for Peary caribou are: Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) and the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Photo: John Nagy/GNWT

Links

• About Peary caribou
• Recovery Strategy for Peary Caribou in the Northwest Territories (2024)
• Status Report and Assessment of Peary Caribou in the NWT (2022)
• Conference of Management Authorities

This engagement opportunity is now closed. Thank you for your comments! 

The species status report for amphibians was finalized in May 2025.

• Read the species status report here

The NWT Species at Risk Committee (SARC) has released the draft Species Status Report for Amphibians in the NWT for review. The species status report is a comprehensive report that compiles and analyzes the best available information on the biological status of Canadian toad (Anaxyrus hemiophrys), Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) and Northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) in the NWT, as well as existing and potential threats and positive influences. The report was prepared in advance of the scheduled 2025 reassessment of Western toad and Northern leopard frog, and the assessment for the first time of the Canadian toad in the NWT.

The draft multi-species status report can be opened here.

If you are interested in reviewing the report and submitting comments, please use the following questions to guide your review:

• Has the report fully investigated the best available sources of information?
• Is the information from those sources portrayed accurately?

Comments on the draft report must be submitted to the Species at Risk Secretariat by no later than December 18, 2024.

Comments can be submitted via email (SARA@gov.nt.ca), fax (867-873-0293), or via standard mail at the address below:

NWT Species at Risk Secretariat
SC-5, c/o Department of Environment and Climate Change
Government of the Northwest Territories
PO Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9

Please note that the report is a draft and is not to be cited without permission of the Species at Risk Committee Chairperson. If you have any questions about reviewing draft status reports, or if you require the report in a different format, please contact the Species at Risk Secretariat.

The Northwest Territories (NWT) Species at Risk Committee (SARC) met in Fort Smith from April 24-26, 2024, to assess the biological status of two NWT species. Hairy braya was reassessed as required under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act. Red-sided garter snake was assessed for the first time in the NWT. 

SARC conducts detailed status assessments every year to determine if species are in danger of disappearing from the NWT. Assessments are based on the best available information from Indigenous and community knowledge, and scientific knowledge. 

In 2024, the status assessments for the two species highlighted the impacts of climate change on habitat at both the northern and the southern extents of the NWT. 

SARC 2024 Species Status Assessments Summary

Hairy braya is a rare flowering plant found nowhere else in the world except on the Cape Bathurst Peninsula and Baillie Islands, NWT. It was reassessed as Threatened in the NWT, owing to the species' limited range, specialized habitat requirements and coastal erosion due to climate change.

Red-sided garter snake is the only reptile known to occur in the NWT. This subspecies of garter snake is at the northern limit of its range and was assessed as a species of Special Concern in the NWT. This reflects the relatively small area of the NWT where the species occurs and the increasing threats of drought and wildfires linked to climate change.

"This is a new era for our land and wildlife. With climate change, things are changing rapidly. We need to work together to find ways to monitor and maintain the land for the people. That includes gathering and recording more Indigenous knowledge about what is happening out there and the impacts to species and their habitat. We need everyone’s help."

  -- Leon Andrew, Chairperson, NWT Species at Risk Committee

Based on these recent assessments, SARC has made several recommendations, including:

• More Indigenous, community and scientific knowledge is needed to understand hairy braya, its distribution and abundance, and changes to its habitat.
• Canada and the NWT must uphold and, if possible, exceed international climate change agreements including reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the local level. Climate change in the NWT must be addressed by implementing the 2030 NWT Climate Change Strategic Framework and Action Plan.
• There is an urgent need to collect information on all aspects of red-sided garter snake biology, habitat and threats—in particular, the impacts of recent wildfires in the NWT. More Indigenous and community knowledge about this species is also needed.
• Create a red-sided garter snake working group where interested members of the public and others can meet, collect and share information on red-sided garter snakes.

SARC will present its assessments and recommendations to the Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) in May 2024. The CMA will engage with NWT communities and decide if hairy braya should continue to be listed as a Threatened species in the NWT and whether the red-sided garter snake should be added to the NWT List of Species at Risk as a species of Special Concern.

The full 2024 assessments with recommendations can be found here:

• Hairy braya
• Red-sided garter snake

Photos: Red-sided garter snake, Karl Larsen; Hairy braya, Paul Sokoloff

The 2024 edition of the Species at Risk in the Northwest Territories booklet is now available. The booklet is a guide to species in the Northwest Territories that are currently listed, or under consideration for listing, under both the federal and territorial species at risk legislation.  For each species, you’ll find background information, their status, potential threats in the NWT, range maps, and a did-you-know section filled with interesting and relevant facts.

• In English: Species at Risk in the NWT
• In French: Espèces en Péril aux TNO

You can also find this guide by visiting Our Species at Risk. For printed copies, contact GNWT ECC at  SARA@gov.nt.ca or 867-767-9237 extension 53214.