Range of Occurrence and Jurisdiction

COSEWIC defines the geographical distribution of a species in terms of the provinces, territories and oceans in which the species occurs. This is called the range of occurrence. COSEWIC follows several guidelines when determining the range of occurrence for a species: for birds, it includes the Canadian breeding and wintering distribution; for marine species, it includes the oceans in which the species occurs (Arctic, Pacific or Atlantic); for freshwater species, it includes the province or territory in which the waterbody occurs; and, for species that occur in brackish waters, move between marine and freshwater environments, or move between oceans and land (e.g., Atlantic Walrus), range of occurrence includes a list of both the oceans and provinces/territories in which the species occurs.

A species' range of occurrence is not a complete list of which jurisdictions may be responsible for that species. COSEWIC keeps track of all possible jurisdictions for a species to ensure the status report review process is inclusive. The final list of jurisdictions responsible for the conservation and management of a species is generated during the recovery process.

As an example of the differences between range of occurrence and jurisdictions, the range of occurrence for Steller Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is British Columbia and Pacific Ocean, whereas the jurisdictions that COSEWIC has identified for the status report review process are British Columbia, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Parks Canada, and the Nisga'a Wildlife Committee (NWC) & Joint Fisheries Management Committee.

Persons interested in the list of jurisdictions included in the review process for a species are urged to contact the COSEWIC Secretariat for more information (COSEWIC/COSEPAC@ec.gc.ca).