Summary of the results

Previous Wild Species reports presented the general status assessments for respectively 1670 species in the 2000 report and for 7732 species in the 2005 report. In the Wild Species 2010 report, the general status assessments of 11 950 species are presented. This report represents a huge achievement, by publishing the results for 20 taxonomic groups, including lichens, mosses, vascular plants, freshwater mussels, spiders, odonates, predaceous diving beetles, ground beetles, lady beetles, bumblebees, black flies, horse flies, mosquitoes, some selected macromoths, butterflies, crayfishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The largest group assessed was the vascular plants, with 5111 species, demonstrating the commitment of botanists across the country to assessing and conserving Canada's plants. The most species-rich regions are Ontario (6995 species, figure 26), British Columbia (6841 species) and Quebec (6150 species), due to the variation in climate and geology that provide diverse habitats in which different species can survive. However, the region with the highest diversity (species richness/area) is Prince Edward Island; the region where you can see the highest number of species in the smallest area!