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Wildlife Habitat
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Photo: Kerry Jarvis
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As wildlife habitat, vernal pools provide shelter, food, and nursery habitat for a great number of invertebrate, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal species. Invertebrates and amphibians breed and develop in vernal pools, while reptiles, birds, and mammals visit vernal pools to feed on the residents of these pools. Some species are critically dependent on vernal pools for all or portions of their lifecycle and are unable to successfully complete their lifecycle without vernal pools. These species are referred to as Obligate Vernal Pool Species, and include the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum), Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale), Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica), fairy shrimp (Eubranchipus bundyi) and the nationally threatened Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum). Without vernal pools these species could not successfully reproduce and would be lost.
Vernal Pools as Significant Wildlife Habitat
 In Ontario, vernal pools may be protected under the Ontario Planning Act. Section 2.1 of the Provincial Policy Statement – PPS (2005) issued under the Planning Act requires that “natural heritage features and areas be protected from incompatible development” and that development on adjacent lands is permitted “if it can be demonstrated that there will be no negative impact on the natural heritage features or ecological functions for which the area has been identified”. The Planning Act requires planning authorities to “have regard to” the PPS when dealing with municipal planning issues.
Certain vernal pools can be designated as natural heritage features under this Policy Statement based on their role as “Significant Wildlife Habitat” or as “Significant portions of the Habitat of Endangered and Threatened Species”. Consequently, these particular vernal pools can therefore be protected under the Ontario Planning Act. It has been left to planning authorities to identify and protect “Significant Wildlife Habitat” and the “Significant portions of the Habitat of Endangered and Threatened Species” when involved in making planning decisions. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource has developed the Significant Wildlife Habitat Technical Guide to assist planning authorities in the identification and protection of significant wildlife habitat. However, there is a lack of information, interest, and resources at the municipal level to adequately identify and protect significant vernal pools. As a result, it is our hope that the Ontario Vernal Pool Association and its resulting projects and programs will help assist planning authorities in fulfilling their responsibilities on the Ontario Planning Act.
For more information on Significant Wildlife Habitat or the Ontario Provincial Policy Statement:
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. 2000. Significant Wildlife Habitat Technical Guide. 151p.
Click here to download
Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2005. Provincial Policy Statement (PPS)
Click here to download
Species At Risk in Ontario and Canada
There are a number of pieces of legislation that help to protect species at risk in Ontario; they include the Ontario Endangered Species Act, Canada’s Species At Risk Act, the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, the Ontario Crown Forest Sustainability Act, the Ontario Provincial Parks Act, and the Ontario Planning Act. This section will focus on the Ontario Endangered Species Act, Canada’s Species At Risk Act, and the Ontario Planning Act.
The province of Ontario has had legislation to protect species at risk (Ontario Endangered Species Act) since 1971. According to Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, no person shall wilfully, kill, injure, interfere with or take or attempt to kill, injure, interfere with or take any species of fauna or flora; or destroy or interfere with or attempt to destroy or interfere with the habitat of any species of fauna or flora, declared in the regulations to be threatened with extinction. R.S.O. 1990, c. E.15, s. 5. The Committee on the Status of Species At Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) is responsible for assessing wildlife species and classifying their chances of survival in Ontario.
For more information on Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, please visit:
In 2002, the Parliament of Canada passed the Species At Risk Act (SARA). The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) is responsible for assessing wildlife species and classifying their chances of survival in Canada. When a species is added to the Species At Risk list, the species is immediately protected on all federally controlled lands. All aquatic species and migratory bird species at risk are protected on all lands and waters under Canadian jurisdiction. With regards to species at risk that are not aquatic species, migratory birds, nor on federal lands, the provincial (including Ontario), federal, and territorial governments endorsed the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in 1996. As a result, the Province of Ontario has an obligation to protect species at risk, regardless if they are listed on the provincial species at risk list (COSSARO). If the Minister of Environment Canada does not feel that the provinces are adequately protecting the species at risk, the Minister may enact the Safety Net Clause of the Species At Risk Act thereby extending the regulations under SARA onto all other lands.
In June 2004, the Species At Risk Act will be completely phased in, and at that time it will become an offence to:
- kill, harm, harass, capture or take an individual of a listed species that is extirpated, endangered or threatened;
- possess, collect, buy, sell or trade an individual of a listed species that is extirpated, endangered or threatened, or its part or derivative;
- damage or destroy the residence of one or more individuals of a listed endangered or threatened species or of a listed extirpated species if a recovery strategy has recommended its reintroduction
The Species At Risk Strategy also requires the development of Recovery Plans fro extirpated, endangered, and threatened species. Also it encourages partnerships between governments and aboriginal people, and provides funding to support stewardship initiatives. The ultimate goal of SARA is to see the status of species at risk improve to the point that the species can be removed from the Species At Risk List.
For more information on Canada’s Species At Risk Act, please visit the Species At Risk Public Registry at http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca.
Species At Risk Associated with Vernal Pools
The following table lists the species at risk that are associated with vernal pools in Ontario. Only the Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) and the Fowler’s Toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) and their critical habitat are protected under Species At Risk legislation. The other species are being tracked and efforts should be taken to protect the species and their habitat inorder to prevent a decline in the species status.
| Common Name |
Scientific Name |
OMNR Rank |
COSEWIC |
S Rank |
| Jefferson Salamander |
Ambystoma jeffersonianum |
Endangered |
Endangered |
S2 |
| Small-mouthed Salamander |
Ambystoma texanum |
Endangered |
Endangered |
S1 |
| Fowler’s Toad |
Anaxyrus fowleri |
Endangered |
Endangered |
S2 |
| Wood Turtle |
Glyptemys insculpata |
Endangered |
Threatened |
S2 |
| Spotted Turtle |
Clemmys guttata |
Endangered |
Endangered |
S3 |
| Blanding’s Turtle |
Emydoidea blandingii |
Threatened |
Threatened |
S3 |
| Flooded Jellyskin |
Leptogium rivulare |
Threatened |
Threatened |
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Species At Risk Ranks and Definitions
| OMNR Rank |
Definition |
| Endangered |
Any native species that, on the basis of the best available scientific evidence, is facing imminent extinction or extirpation throughout all or a significant portion of its Ontario range if the limiting factors are not reversed. Endangered species are protected under the province's Endangered Species Act. |
| Threatened |
Any native species that, on the basis of the best available scientific evidence, is at risk of becoming endangered throughout all or a significant portion of its Ontario range if the limiting factors are not reversed. |
| Special Concern |
Any native species that, on the basis of the best available scientific evidence, 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. |
From: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/Species/2ColumnSubPage/244543.html
| COSEWIC Rank |
Definition |
| 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 that is particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events but is not an endangered or threatened species. |
From: http://www.cosewic.gc.ca
| S Rank |
Definition |
| S1 |
Extremely rare in Ontario; usually 5 or fewer occurrences in the province or very few remaining individuals; often especially vulnerable to extirpation |
| S2 |
Very rare in Ontario; usually between 5 and 20 occurrences in the province or with many individuals in fewer occurrences; often susceptible to extirpation |
| S3 |
Rare to uncommon in Ontario; usually between 20 and 100 occurrences in the province; may have fewer occurrences, but with a large number of individuals in some populations; may be susceptible to large-scale disturbances. Most species with an S3 rank are assigned to the watch list, unless they have a relatively high global rank. |
| S4 and S5 |
Common and Very common (respectively) |
From: http://nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/glossary/srank.cfm
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