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  Numerous species in the parks have now been classified as at risk, meaning that they are in danger of extirpation or, even worse, outright extinction. Such is the situation with the Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus in Point Pelee National Park and with the Blanding's Turtle in Nova Scotia’s Kejimkujik National Park. The latter species, with an estimated population of only 250 adults, was, in fact, first discovered in Kejimkujik, in 1953. In both these cases, Park Wardens have organized teams to try to restore the health of the ecosystems in which the two species can thrive.

In some cases, the wardens and their teams have successfully reintroduced endangered species to their native habitats. A wonderful illustration of this is the reintroduction, after a century’s absence, of the trumpeter swan (the largest waterfowl in North America) to the area in which Elk Island National Park is
 

located, in central Alberta. This has contributed enormously to the chances of survival of the small population of 3,500 trumpeters east of the Rocky Mountains.

As is the situation elsewhere, the major threats to species in our National Parks are habitat loss and fragmentation through human overuse in the parks and their surrounding areas, and air and water pollution from sources outside the parks. These threats upset the complex web of life in the parks’ many ecosystems, which Park Wardens and their teams are dedicated to managing in order to ensure the survival and flourishing of native species of all kinds.

Prickly Pear Cactus

The eastern prickly pear Cactus is considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act of Ontario, and it is protected by the Canadian federal Species at Risk Act. It is found in substantial numbers only at Point Pelee.

Image © Parks Canada Ref. #06.62.03.05(34)
Photograph by D.A. Wilkes
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