Fact Sheet: Agricultural Producers and the Emergency Protection Order

2015 Government of Canada fact sheet intended for agricultural producers:

“The Sage-Grouse is an endangered bird species that depends on the unique prairie ecosystem in Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 2012, there were estimated to be roughly 100 adults remaining in Canada. The population has declined by 98% since 1988.

The Government of Canada’s plan for successful recovery of this species includes the Emergency Protection Order, which focuses on imminent threats to the species in the wild, the Amended Recovery Strategy, which will guide recommended voluntary stewardship activities on Sage-Grouse habitat, and a joint program with the Calgary Zoo to breed and rear Sage-Grouse chicks in a safe environment to help increase the population in the wild.

The Emergency Order for the Protection of the Greater Sage-Grouse is an order made under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) that was brought into force on February 18, 2014, to address the imminent threats to the survival or recovery of the species. The Emergency Protection Order lists activities that are legally forbidden.”