What is Parks Canada's role?

Under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), Parks Canada is responsible for the protection and recovery of listed species found in national parks, national marine conservation areas, national historic sites and other protected heritage areas administered by Parks Canada.

Through its protected heritage areas, Parks Canada currently manages close to 265,000 square kilometres of land that is home to approximately half of the species at risk currently listed in Canada!

Like the Canada National Parks Act and the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, SARA is a tool Parks Canada uses to help protect and manage species at risk and their habitats. Parks Canada does this by:

• leading and participating in recovery teams;
• developing and supporting recovery strategies and priority actions;
• educating Canadians on species at risk;
• collecting detailed information on species' distribution and population status; and
• assessing how activities might affect species at risk within Parks Canada's protected heritage areas and monitoring these activities for their effects.

Working with other government departments

Parks Canada also works with other federal government departments to protect species at risk, including:

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada for aquatic species; and
• Environment Canada for all other species.

Provincial, territorial and federal government departments, including Parks Canada, all have a role in the protection and recovery of species at risk, as outlined in the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk.