NWT Species at Risk Listing Decisions

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The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA), established under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act to manage and recover species at risk in the Northwest Territories (NWT), has reached consensus on listing northern leopard frog and western toad on the NWT List of Species at Risk. Both listings will be effective for 10 years.

Northern leopard frog has been uplisted to Endangered from its previous status as a Threatened species. In the NWT, northern leopard frogs have only been found near the Slave, Taltson, Tethul and Tazin rivers in the South Slave region. The population in the NWT is small, genetically distinct, and geographically isolated, which means if this population disappears, it would be difficult to replace.

Western toad will remain on the NWT List of Species at Risk as a Threatened species. In the NWT, western toads are at the northern edge of their range and are only found in the Liard River basin. Western toads are long-lived, and females may only breed once in their lifetime, which limits their ability to recover from population declines.

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

Photos: (Left) Northern leopard frog, Kris Kendell; (Right) Western toad, Yannick Letailleur

For more information contact:

Jody Pellissey, Chairperson

Conference of Management Authorities

Phone: (867) 767-9237 ext. 53215

Email: SARA@gov.nt.ca

Quick facts:

  • 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.
  • Northern leopard frog and western toad, like all amphibians, are particularly sensitive to threats. 
  • Northern leopard frog occurs only in a small area of the NWT and there are reports of declines from local communities. Northern leopard frog faces increasing threats from disease, drought, wildfire, and human disturbances such as hydro development.
  • Western toad has a small range in the NWT and is vulnerable to threats. A disease outbreak could be harmful to the western toad population, in particular if combined with other stressors or threats that reduce immunity to diseases.
  • Completed in 2017, the Management Plan for Amphibians in the Northwest Territories provides guidance for maintaining healthy and viable populations of amphibian species across their NWT range. It will continue to guide co-management partners on how to support the survival of these species.

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