The Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario’s 2024 Annual Report

The Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario

The Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) is an independent committee of experts - including members with expertise in scientific disciplines, community knowledge or Indigenous Traditional Knowledge - established under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). The committee is responsible for assessing species in Ontario and providing classifications to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

In accordance with section six of the ESA, COSSARO is required to submit an annual report to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in January of each year identifying species that have been assessed and classified since its previous annual report was submitted.

On January 29, 2025, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks received COSSARO’s 2024 Annual Report, which includes species assessments and resulting classifications from 2024.

The report to the minister has been posted publicly, as required by Section 51 of the ESA.

Highlights of COSSARO’s annual report

COSSARO’s 2024 annual report includes:

• COSSARO’s species assessments (brief description of species biology, threats, etc.) and classifications of 14 species/populations
• a draft plan for species assessments for 2025

Species classifications resulting from the species assessments conducted by COSSARO in 2024 include:

New classifications (species not previously assessed)

• three new endangered species:
  • Cleland’s Evening-Primrose (a plant)
  • Domed Disc (a snail)
  • Forked Bluecurls (a plant)
• one new threatened species:
  • Finlayson’s Oakworm Moth (an insect)
• two new special concern species:
  • Mudpuppy (Great Lakes/St. Lawrence population) (a salamander)
  • Prairie-Dock (a plant)

Species with increased risk status

• one species previously classified as Special Concern is now Endangered
  • Black Tern

Species with decreased risk status

• one species previously classified as Endangered is now Threatened
  • Riverine Clubtail
• three species previously classified as Threatened are now Special Concern:
  • American White Pelican
  • White Wood Aster
  • Willowleaf Aster

Species with no change in status

• three species were reassessed and their classification did not change
  • Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Extirpated)
  • Kirtland’s Warbler (Endangered)
  • Yellow Rail (Special Concern)