Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
Encyclopedia
The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC); French: Le Comité sur la situation des espèces en péril au Canada, (COSEPAC) is an independent committee of wildlife experts and scientists whose "raison d’être is to identify species at risk" in Canada
. It designates the conservation status
of wild species.
It was established in 1977 to provide a single, scientifically sound classification of wildlife species at risk of extinction. In the 2002 Species at Risk Act
, COSEWIC was established as the body to identify and assess a species status. Although the status assigned by COSEWIC is not legally binding, it does report its results to the government and the public. The report is influential toward the addition of species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk by the Minister of the Environment
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It designates the conservation status
Conservation status
The conservation status of a group of organisms indicates whether the group is still extant and how likely the group is to become extinct in the near future...
of wild species.
It was established in 1977 to provide a single, scientifically sound classification of wildlife species at risk of extinction. In the 2002 Species at Risk Act
Species at Risk Act
The Species at Risk Act is a piece of Canadian federal legislation which became law in Canada on December 12, 2002. It is designed to meet one of Canada's key commitments under the International Convention on Biological Diversity. The goal of the Act is to protect endangered or threatened...
, COSEWIC was established as the body to identify and assess a species status. Although the status assigned by COSEWIC is not legally binding, it does report its results to the government and the public. The report is influential toward the addition of species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk by the Minister of the Environment
Minister of the Environment (Canada)
The Minister of the Environment is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government's environment department, Environment Canada...
.