In a place as big as the Yukon, it can be hard to keep track of how all of the different wild species here are faring. Before species can be protected, we have to know at least which ones live where, and how many of them there are.

The Yukon, along with the rest of Canada, has taken a significant step forwards with this job. The territory participated in a national effort titled Wild Species 2000, and has released a separate report titled "The Status of Yukon's Wildlife."

Wild Species 2000 presents the first big picture of Canada's wild flora and fauna. It grew out of a 1996 agreement that was signed by all provincial, federal and territorial wildlife ministers. The National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk attempts to harmonize the conservation of endangered wildlife across Canada.

Manfred Hoefs, recently retired as the chief of Habitat and Endangered Species for the Yukon, coordinated the territory's submission for this report. He says that it marks an important step for monitoring species both across the country and in the Yukon.

"We have never really compiled which species we have in Canada, so this is an interesting document for looking at biodiversity across the country," he says. Hoefs adds that at the national level it can serve as a flagging exercise, helping to highlight endangered species that need more assessment.

While the national report evaluates butterflies, orchids and ferns as well as vertebrates, the first Yukon status report is limited to vertebrates. Hoefs points out that our knowledge of the entire range of Yukon species is limited. While a great deal is known about a few economically important species such as moose, there are numerous species about which we know next to nothing.

"The Yukon list is our first attempt so it is not perfect. We will go through this exercise every five years and I hope that we will include invertebrates the next time around," says Hoefs.

And just how are the 380 vertebrate species in the Yukon faring? This group includes 66 mammal species, four amphibians, 281 birds and 33 fishes, but not enough is known about 85 of these species to make an assessment. Of the remaining vertebrates, 22 percent of them are considered to be at risk.

In total, 38 species are red-listed, meaning that they are considered to be at risk and require special management effort, while 28 species are on the blue list, meaning that they may be at risk.

All but ten of the species at risk are birds. In fact, the Yukon has more bird species deemed to be at risk than any of the other territories or provinces. Several of these birds are found in the southeast Yukon, where industrial development is increasing.

Hoefs points out that many of these birds would be at risk with or without human activities. Referred to as peripheral species, they are ranked as being at risk because in the Yukon they are at the northern edge of their range.

Some of the songbirds are on the red and blue lists because they are habitat specialists that can only breed in old growth white spruce. Without proper management, resource extraction in the southeast Yukon could pose a significant threat to these species.

Cameron Eckert, the conservation biologist with the Yukon Protected Areas Secretariat, contributed to the work on birds in the report. He says that research is now showing that peripheral species are anything but peripheral in importance.

Many species start to decline at the centre of their ranges first as that is where there is more loss of habitat. When this happens, the birds living at the edges of their range become even more important.

"When a species is declining, the highest numbers might then be found at the edges of its range, and this area can also become important for recolonizing their range," he says.

Mammals on the red list include muskoxen, white-tailed deer, elk and bowhead whales. On the blue list are wood bison, polar bears, mule deer and fishers. Other nine species are on the yellow list, meaning that they are sensitive species that may require special management.

Hoefs says that knowing more about the status of Yukon species will help with efforts to manage and protect them. The Yukon is working on draft endangered species legislation to ensure that the full range of wild species are protected.

"Once we have a Yukon system in place, we can look at blue and red-listed animals and see which ones should be formally assessed. Then recommendations could be made to the wildlife minister that a species be formally designated as endangered or threatened."

For more information on "The Status of Yukon's Wildlife," contact the Yukon Department of Renewable Resources at 667-5652. Wild Species 2000 can be found on the web at www.wildspecies.ca.