ANNUAL REPORT 2019–20 OUR MISSION to be the authoritative, primary source of accessible, current, and reliable information on the distribution and abundance of Canada’s natural diversity— especially species and ecosystems of conservation concern. TABLE OF CONTENTS From the Chair and Executive Director 2 From the Chair and Executive Director 3 About Us iscal 2019-20 proved to be NatureServe Canada’s biggest year to date, with a wide- range of projects that leveraged the biodiversity and information technology expertise HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NATURESERVE CANADA NETWORK Fof our membership. Thanks to new project funding from the federal government, we 4 Ecosystem-based Automated Range (EBAR) made major advancements on numerous priority projects including our Secure and Open Data Species Mapping project (policies and procedures to enable the sharing of ecologically sensitive biodiversity information); NatureServe Explorer 2.0 (the NatureServe Network’s public-facing biodiversity 5 Mapping Places Vital for Preventing Extinctions information platform); and our Ecosystem-based Automated Range (EBAR) mapping project 6 New Discoveries in Atlantic Canada (see page 4). Underlying these “flagship” projects is our Network’s ongoing work to continuously expand, 7 iNaturalist Data for Conservation refine, and distribute our information on species and ecological communities, at subnational, Decisions Support national, and global levels. In 2019-20 and on behalf of the General Status of Wildlife in Canada 8 Monitoring the Status of Manitoba’s Only Lizard program, information on over 16,000 species in Canada, primarily fungi, lichens, and inverte- brates, was added to the Network to enable assessment and reporting of the status of more 9 New Plant Discoveries in Saskatchewan wild species. 10 Biodiversity Inventory of Dàadzàii Vàn Expanding the body of knowledge of Canada’s species and ecological communities, and Territorial Park making this information available to support science-based decisions concerning them, is the purpose of the NatureServe Canada Network. Our growing body of data and expertise is inte- 11 Biodiversity Knowledge Sharing in grated into projects, such as those mentioned above, and made publicly available through data Northwest Territories requests and the public-facing data platforms of our members. A big “thank you” to our mem- 12 Building the Nunavut Conservation Data Centre bers, partners, and funders for your ongoing work and support towards these shared goals. 13 Documenting Canada’s Nationally Endemic Species Bruce Bennett 14 A Tribute to Jim Mackenzie and Leah Ramsay Chair 15 Summary Financial Data 16 In Gratitude to Our Members in 2019-20 Cover photo: White Cottongrass (Eriophorum scheuchzeri) near Summit Lake, Dàadzàii Vàn Territorial Park, Yukon Patrick Henry Photo credit: Yukon Government Executive Director 2 NatureServe Canada | annual report 2019–20 About Us anada is home to an estimated 140,000 in the Americas.1 NatureServe Canada is the species, only about half of which have Canadian affiliate of NatureServe, based in Cbeen scientifically identified. These plants, Arlington, Virginia that provides scientific and animals, lichens, and fungi belong to a vast organ- technical support to the international network. ic tapestry—the diversity of life at genetic, species, NatureServe Canada is based in Ottawa, Ontario and ecosystem levels, and vital for environmental, and is governed by a Board of Directors com- economic, and social health. prised of representatives of its member provincial At NatureServe Canada, our vision is for and territorial CDCs. the natural heritage of Canada to be thoroughly Each CDC adheres to NatureServe’s rigorous documented, for that information to be readily scientific methods and standards developed since available to the public, and for conservation of the 1970s. Together, NatureServe Canada and the biodiversity and for resource decision-making Canadian CDCs strive to answer questions such to be guided by high quality scientific data and as what species and ecosystems exist in each information. Our mission: to be the authoritative, province or territory; what is the condition and primary source of accessible, current, and reliable conservation status of their populations; which information on the distribution and abundance of species or ecosystems are at risk of extinction Canada’s natural diversity—especially species and (global) or extirpation (from Canada or a province ecosystems of conservation concern. or territory); and where precisely are species at NatureServe Canada and its network of prov- risk and rare ecosystems found? incial and territorial Conservation Data Centres We presently maintain information on over (CDCs)—organizations with responsibility for 55,000 species and 3,600 ecological communities. biodiversity knowledge for the jurisdictions Our Network steadily adds new knowledge about they serve—work together and with other biodiversity—including about species newly docu- Claire Singer, NWT Species at Risk Act government and non-government organizations mented for Canada or species newly described to Implementation Supervisor, with a blue vane trap to test the effects of land use and honey bee presence to develop, manage, and distribute authoritative science. The Network also helps document the on bee species native to the NWT. Photo credit: knowledge regarding Canada’s plants, animals, most important places for biodiversity in Canada, ©NWT Environment & Natural Resources 2019. and ecosystems. NatureServe Canada and the to aid in management decisions concerning them. Canadian CDCs are members of the international NatureServe Network, spanning over 80 CDCs 1 Canada’s CDCs are located in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Atlantic Canada, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. NatureServe Canada | annual report 2019–20 3 Ecosystem-based Automated Range (EBAR) Species Mapping iodiversity experts across Canada resources (e.g., Global Biodiversity have long identified the need for Information Facility), academics, Bhigh-quality range maps to inform species natural resource companies, conservation decision-making. With inputs from and traditional/local ecological experts across Canada and beyond, NatureServe knowledge holders. Data is stored Canada is developing publicly accessible range and archived in a secure, cloud- maps for thousands of species of conservation based Microsoft Azure server. An concern. ArcGIS Enterprise Server is used Ecosystem-based Automated Range (EBAR) to manage the EBAR geodatabase maps use jurisdiction-provided ecoshapes and provide the foundation for the (polygons of ecoregions, ecodistricts, or other EBAR Reviewer online tool. This representations of ecosystems) that eliminate tool allows species experts to effi- the need to manually draw or edit species range ciently contribute their knowledge boundaries. The maps combine biodiversity toward reviewing and providing Screenshot of expert review work on the EBAR map for Grand Coulee information with expert knowledge to populate feedback on EBAR maps, thus Owl’s Clover (Orthocarpus barbatus). ecoshapes with species occurrence data. Each contributing to map improvements on an on- 3.7 million species occurrences in our database, ecoshape in a species range is associated with going basis. This review is critical for filling data 90 experts who have agreed to review ranges, references to the underlying occurrence data gaps in the “automated” EBAR maps, particularly and 101 ranges sent for review by these experts. without displaying the precise species locations. for lesser known and rare species. NatureServe Canada will make EBAR maps This novel work is resulting in species range NatureServe Canada is presently developing publicly available online at no cost. The map file maps that can be refined efficiently as new data EBAR maps for the Environment and Climate formats will facilitate integration into Geographic or expert review become available. Change Canada funded Canada Key Biodiversity Information System (GIS) software and so facili- EBAR maps incorporate the best available Areas (KBA) project.2 We are working to secure tate uptake and customization by a wide variety species occurrence information from sources funding to expand our work to cover species of end-users including industrial environmental including NatureServe Network Conservation of priority to the Committee on the Status of impact assessments, federal, provincial and terri- Data Centres, federal, provincial, and territorial Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), torial species at risk programs, and government governments, online citizen science platforms particularly for upcoming status assessments or bodies responsible for land use planning. (e.g, iNaturalist), digital biodiversity data reassessments. To date, we have approximately 2 https://www.natureserve.org/natureserve-network/canada/ebar-canada-kbas 4 NatureServe Canada | annual report 2019–20 Mapping Places Vital for Preventing Extinctions reventing extinctions requires specific new areas that harbor globally significant project (see previous page). precise information on where imperiled biodiversity. These data, and the methods used The map on this page displays richness of Pspecies occur. The NatureServe Network to generate them, will improve the efficiency at-risk species in Washington State, outside was founded to provide that information, and and effectiveness of conservation practitioners of existing protected areas, using modeled draws on ever-more