What is an endemic species?

The word endemic means that a thing is found only in one defined physical or geographical place and nowhere else. So an endemic species to the Yukon means that a species is found only in the Yukon and no traces of its population is found elsewhere in the world.

What is so important about protecting species at risk?

According to the 2019 Global Assessment Report by the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, about 1 million plant and animal species (the highest number in human history) are threatened to go extinct. Humans have significantly altered the ecosystems we rely on through development, over-production and over-extraction of natural resources and the resulting pollution and pressures that come with it. Biodiversity is suffering and our survival is threatened as a result. When one species goes extinct it causes a cascading effect throughout the ecosystem, as that species is connected to the wider web through its eating, sleeping, mating, migratory, and other behaviours. But the good news is, biodiversity is resilient; when pressures on it are eased and it has time to rebound and adapt, it will. The more we start to see ourselves as ‘part' of these ecosystems, the more we can work with nature to thrive.

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how are species at risk identified in canada?

A national committee called the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) evaluates the status of all Canadian wildlife species and identifies those most at risk. The committee categorizes species according to the following list:

• “Extinct: A species that no longer exists.

• Extirpated: A species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere.

• Endangered: A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

• Threatened: A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

• Special Concern: A species with characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.”

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How many species at risk are there in yukon?

The Yukon is home to about 10,000 different plant and animal species, some of whom are found nowhere else in the world. Information on species at risk in Yukon is collected and shared by the Yukon Conservation Data Centre (YCDC). According to the Species at Risk Act, the following insects, birds, mammals and fish are listed as at risk.

• 4 Endangered species

• 14 Threatened species

• 28 Special Concern

• (+ 11 species under review and 4 data deficient species)

In the Yukon South Beringia region, there are 27 species of interest.

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Riparian Systems

The riparian zone is the area between land and water. This zone, between the shoreline and the upland area, connects multiple biomes and provides rich soil that supports biologically distinctive and productive plant and terrestrial/aquatic animal communities. A healthy riparian zone also helps to maintain water quality, regulates microclimates, supports diverse food webs and habitats for aquatic and terrestrial species, and prevents erosion. A riparian system is a term used to describe the multiple ecosystems (i.e. the interaction between living and non-living things in an environment) that make up this important transitional zone.

Riparian systems are one of the most vulnerable on Earth as they face a lot of degradation/alteration due to their location within the landscape and popularity for human activity.

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Beringian Steppe

A “steppe” is an ecoregion characterized by tree-less grassland plains (separate from those near rivers and lakes). They occur in dry and temperate climates with key seasonal temperature differences. A steppe is semi-arid, meaning it is too dry to support a forest but not dry enough to be classified as a desert. In a steppe, you will likely find short grasses and/or shrubs growing. The Beringian Steppe is the ecoregion that would have supported a productive ecosystem of ice-age animals and steppe plants, unlike the Arctic Tundra of today, where few mammals can survive.

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Article: Ice-Age Steppe Vegetation in East Beringia

Tintina Trench

The Tintina Trench is a large valley extending northwest-southeast through the Yukon. It originates from the Tintina Fault and extends north of the Northern Rocky Mountain Trench in British Columbia. The trench is one of Yukon most important geological features as the walls of the valley show visible proof of plate tectonics, the large plates kilometres thick that cover the earth’s surface and underline the continents and oceans.

Article: The Tintina Trench