Conserving Borderline Species: A Partnership Between the United States and Canada

This report provides examples of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada to save endangered species that are common to both nations. The U.S. lists those species determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service to be threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

In the United States, 33 animal and plant species on this list also occur in Canada. The Canadian list includes those species determined to be nationally at risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent scientific body with representatives from Federal, Provincial, Territorial, and private agencies as well as independent experts. In Canada, 125 animal and plant species on this list are also found in the United States.

Joint U.S.-Canada conservation efforts are already underway. The 10 examples profiled on the following pages illustrate ways that binational efforts can improve a species’ chance of survival and recovery. American and Canadian biologists share research, coordinate habitat protection, assist one another with on-the-ground species protection activities, and conduct joint reintroduction efforts.