Presentation Abstract
Species at risk are native species, sub-species or ecologically significant units that warrant special attention to ensure their conservation. The number of marine species at risk within the Salish Sea is used by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada as one of ten transboundary ecosystem indicators. Four jurisdictions within the Salish Sea have formal listing processes for marine species: the Province of British Columbia, the State of Washington, the Canadian Federal Government, and the United States Federal Government. As of October 15, 2021, there were 135 species listed as at risk in the Salish Sea: 4 invertebrates, 66 fish, 2 reptiles, 50 birds and 13 mammals. The list has been compiled periodically since 2002 when only 60 species were listed, and it has grown at each assessment. A portion of the growth in the number of listed species can be attributed to better information on the species that use the ecosystem or greater effort to assess species status, but for some species, additions reflect actual population declines in the Salish Sea over the last two decades. The list was pivotal in highlighting the magnitude of marine bird declines and motivating a taxa-wide risk assessment to identify underlying causes for declines in so many species, but overall has had little apparent value in driving ecosystem recovery. Rather than documenting the continued decline of species within the Salish Sea, this indicator could be better formalized to embrace the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) approach as an organizing principle, as it has been for other transboundary ecosystem indicators. More formally engaging listing agencies and Tribal and First Nation co-managers to help detail the drivers and pressures behind listings could create a better indicator that facilitates design and implementation of transboundary conservation efforts that supersede a species-by-species piecemeal approach.
Session Title
Bivalves, Biodiversity, & Wastewater
Conference Track
SSE3: The Circle of Life
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-37
Start Date
28-4-2022 10:15 AM
End Date
28-4-2022 11:45 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Marine ecology--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Endangered ecosystems--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Marine resources conservation--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Marine Species at Risk: A Salish Sea Transboundary Indicator with more potential
Species at risk are native species, sub-species or ecologically significant units that warrant special attention to ensure their conservation. The number of marine species at risk within the Salish Sea is used by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Environment and Climate Change Canada as one of ten transboundary ecosystem indicators. Four jurisdictions within the Salish Sea have formal listing processes for marine species: the Province of British Columbia, the State of Washington, the Canadian Federal Government, and the United States Federal Government. As of October 15, 2021, there were 135 species listed as at risk in the Salish Sea: 4 invertebrates, 66 fish, 2 reptiles, 50 birds and 13 mammals. The list has been compiled periodically since 2002 when only 60 species were listed, and it has grown at each assessment. A portion of the growth in the number of listed species can be attributed to better information on the species that use the ecosystem or greater effort to assess species status, but for some species, additions reflect actual population declines in the Salish Sea over the last two decades. The list was pivotal in highlighting the magnitude of marine bird declines and motivating a taxa-wide risk assessment to identify underlying causes for declines in so many species, but overall has had little apparent value in driving ecosystem recovery. Rather than documenting the continued decline of species within the Salish Sea, this indicator could be better formalized to embrace the Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) approach as an organizing principle, as it has been for other transboundary ecosystem indicators. More formally engaging listing agencies and Tribal and First Nation co-managers to help detail the drivers and pressures behind listings could create a better indicator that facilitates design and implementation of transboundary conservation efforts that supersede a species-by-species piecemeal approach.
