mike23 Apr 2, 2015:

Categories of at risk status

Each species is classified into 1 of 4 categories:

- extirpated: lives somewhere in the world, and at one time lived in the wild in Ontario, but no longer lives in the wild in Ontario
- endangered: lives in the wild in Ontario but is facing imminent extinction or extirpation
- threatened: lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered, but is likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threatening it
- special concern: lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats

mike23 Apr 2, 2015:

Immediate protection for species
Plants and animals are automatically protected from being harmed or harassed if they are classified as being: endangered/ threatened/ extirpated
Species classified as special concern are not included in this protection
https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/how-species-ri...

Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Apr 2, 2015:

The question is how a species moves from being endangered to being protected. Usually, there is an official body that makes such a declaration.

mike23 Apr 2, 2015:

We have protected / endangered / threatened species
https://www.google.pl/#q="protection of protected species"