Ministry of Environment Endangered Species and Ecosystems

Frequently Asked Questions

Endangered Species and Ecosystems

• What do Rare and Endangered really mean?
• How can you tell if a species or ecological community is truly rare or just hasn't been found very often?
• Why should we care about rare invertebrates?
• Why are we concerned about elements whose range just barely reaches into BC but may be common elsewhere?
• Where can I find the rank of a species or ecological community elsewhere in North America?

BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer

• Where does the data in BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer come from?
• When I do an ecological community search in BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer for a specific Forest District (FD) (or Ecosection, Ministry of Environment (MoE) Region, or Regional District), why do the results list BGCs that don't occur in the FD I selected?
• Why don't some species show up in distribution searches when I know they occur in a particular jurisdiction?. For example, why isn't the Western Grebe on the South Island Forest District Lists? I've seen this species at Saanich Inlet.

Red, Blue and Yellow Lists

• What are Red and Blue and Yellow lists?
• How do species or ecological communities get on the Red or Blue list?
• Where can I get more information on Red- and Blue-listed species and ecological communities?
• Why are there periodic changes in the Red and Blue lists?

Ecological Communities

• What is an ecological community?
• Why conserve ecosystems?
• Why doesn't BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer list an ecological community I found?
• Does the CDC want my ecological inventory data and, if so, how do I submit it?

Known Locations of Species and Ecosystems

• What is an Occurrence, or an Element Occurrence?
• Why are some locations considered "sensitive"?
• How can I learn about known locations of Red- and Blue-listed species and ecological communities in BC?
• How can I find out if there are Red- or Blue-listed species or ecological communities at a particular location?