Proud Globelet

Species information

The following is a report on progress made towards the protection and recovery of Proud Globelet (Patera pennsylvanica) in Ontario from 2007 to 2023 based on Ontario’s species-specific recovery policy. This report meets the legislative requirement for a review of progress under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA or “the Act”). Proud Globelet is listed as endangered on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List under the ESA.

Proud Globelet was listed as an endangered species under the ESA on June 15, 2016.

The species-specific recovery policy for Proud Globelet, known as the government response statement (GRS) was published in 2019 and includes the government’s recovery goal for the species and the actions and priorities it intends to lead or support to help achieve that goal. The GRS considers science advice provided in the recovery strategy (published in 2018), regarding things such as the species biology, habitat needs, threats to survival, knowledge gaps and approaches to recovery, when developing recovery actions for the species. As legislated in the Act, the purpose of this review is to report on progress made towards implementing the protection and recovery actions in the GRS. The review can also help identify opportunities to adjust and adapt the implementation of protection and recovery actions to achieve the recovery goal for the species.

Further information about Proud Globelet, including the threats that it faces and actions being taken to help protect and recover this species, is available on the Government of Ontario webpage for Proud Globelet. A summary on the progress towards the protection and recovery of Proud Globelet and an annual update on the broader species at risk program (i.e. the Introduction to the 2024 Review of Progress report) is available on the Review of Progress Towards the Protection and Recovery of Ontario’s Species at Risk webpage.

Snapshot: Progress towards the protection and recovery of Proud Globelet

Progress towards meeting the recovery goal

• The recovery goal in the government response statement (GRS) for Proud Globelet in Ontario is to “support the persistence of the species in Ontario and fill knowledge gaps related to the current state of the species, its habitat, and threats in Ontario”
• Progress has been made towards implementing all of the government-led actions. Limited progress has been made towards implementing the government-supported recovery objectives. An example of the progress includes:
  • conducting surveys for the presence/absence of Proud Globelet in locations where the species has been found
• In alignment with the GRS, the overall direction provided in the GRS for Proud Globelet should continue to guide protection and recovery actions for the species, particularly actions identified in the GRS as high priority. Further work is required to:
  • identify areas with potentially suitable habitat for Proud Globelet using modelling techniques and local knowledge to inform survey efforts
  • fill knowledge gaps related to the species’ distribution, biology, habitat requirements and threats to inform recovery efforts
  • maintain or improve habitat where the species is found to be present by undertaking activities to minimize threats to the species and manage the habitat as appropriate

Occurrences and distribution

• One population ^{footnote 1[1]} of Proud Globelet has been documented in the Windsor area. Currently, this population is considered extant ^{footnote 2[2]} .
• Very little is known about the species, as live individuals have not been collected in Ontario.
• Since 2009, the government’s central conservation data repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) has received five records of the species. These records are based on observations between 1992 and 2013.

Government-supported stewardship projects

• Supporting our partners through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program is an important government-led action identified in the GRS for the species. To date, no stewardship projects have been performed for Proud Globelet.

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery

• To date, no permits have been issued for this species.
• Nine activities have been undertaken in accordance with a conditional exemption that requires registration under the ESA. The activities followed the conditional exemption for ‘threats to health and safety, not imminent’ (section 23.18) under Ontario Regulation 242/08 of the ESA.

Reporting on the progress towards the protection and recovery of Proud Globelet

The implementation of government-led and government-supported actions demonstrates progress towards reaching the desired objectives and the recovery goal set out in the GRS.

Progress towards implementing government-led actions

Progress has been made towards implementing all of the government-led actions identified in the GRS. Common actions for the government to lead as it works towards achieving a species’ recovery goal include:

• Continue to implement the Ontario Invasive Species Strategic Plan (2012) to address the invasive species that may directly threaten the Proud Globelet.
• Educate other agencies and authorities involved in planning and environmental assessment processes on the protection requirements under the ESA.
• Encourage the submission of Proud Globelet data to the Ontario’s central repository through the citizen science project that they receive data from (i.e., iNaturalist.ca) and directly through the Natural Heritage Information Centre.
• Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario.
• Continue to protect Proud Globelet and its habitat through the ESA.
• Support conservation, agency, municipal and industry partners, and Indigenous communities and organizations to undertake activities to protect and recover Proud Globelet. Support will be provided where appropriate through funding, agreements, permits (including conditions) and/or advisory services.
• Encourage collaboration, and establish and communicate annual priority actions for government support in order to reduce duplication of efforts.
• Conduct a review of progress toward the protection and recovery of Proud Globelet within five years of the publication of this document.

Key progress made towards implementing these actions is described in the following sections.

Invasive species in Ontario

The Government of Ontario is committed to continuing its efforts to prevent, detect, respond to and manage invasive species in order to reduce their harmful impacts in the province, including to species at risk and their habitats. The GRS for Proud Globelet indicates that invasive plant species that compete with Proud Globelet (e.g., Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)) pose a threat to the survival and recovery of this species in Ontario.

The Government of Ontario continues to take action to advance the management of invasive species which could potentially harm the recovery of Proud Globelet by working with partners to identify innovative solutions to control invasive plants. For example, through annual funding agreements with the Invasive Species Centre, the Ministry of Natural Resources has been supporting collaborative efforts with the University of Toronto and federal partners to investigate a potential biological control agent for Garlic Mustard.

Guides and resources

The Government of Ontario has supported the development of Best Management Practices (BMP) for Garlic Mustard (2012) (PDF) by the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. This BMP provides guidance for managing Garlic Mustard in Ontario, which is contributing to the implementation of recovery actions for Proud Globelet.

Occurrences and distribution

Tracking the occurrences and distribution of a species is a useful way to monitor and view where a species is found and how it is doing. Ontario’s Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC), the government’s central data repository, gathers and manages this type of biodiversity information. NHIC tracks and maps this data as species observations and individual element occurrences, where an element occurrence is an area of land and/or water where a species or plant community is or was present, and has a practical conservation value. For the purposes of this report, ‘population’ is an alternative name for element occurrence.

One population of Proud Globelet has been documented in Ontario. This population is considered to be extant (i.e., observed within the past 20 years). The extant population is located in Black Oak Heritage Park.

Since 2007, the government’s central conservation data repository at the NHIC has received 5 records of the species. These records are based on observations between 1992 and 2013 and come from a variety of sources. Records submitted have helped to refine where the species is known and has been known to occur and can provide additional information on the species’ habitat and threats.

Very little is known about the species as live individuals have not been collected in Ontario. Fresh shells were first recorded in Canada in 1992 and 1996. Targeted searches in 2013 found dead shells at two sites in Windsor (Black Oak Heritage Park) and a nearby industrial site. Searches in 2023 at the Black Oak Heritage Park did not find any additional specimens.

It is possible that there are observations of Proud Globelet that have not been submitted to the government. Encouraging the submission of observations of this species is included in the GRS as a government-led action. Submission of species observations increases our knowledge of where they occur and can play an important role in assessing the viability of species populations.

Everyone is encouraged, or may be required by an authorization or condition of a regulatory exemption, to submit observations of Proud Globelet and any other species at risk observed to the NHIC for incorporation into the provincial record of observations.

Government-supported stewardship projects

An important government-led action in the GRS for Proud Globelet is to support partners to undertake activities to protect and recover the species. To date, no stewardship projects have been funded through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program. The species is very rare, and no live Proud Globelet individuals have ever been collected in Ontario.

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery

Supporting partners through authorizations and their associated conditions is an important government-led action. To date, no permits have been issued for Proud Globelet.

Nine activities that may affect Proud Globelet or its habitat have been registered for the purposes of Ontario Regulation 242/08: ‘General’ under the ESA. All nine activities were registered under ‘threats to human health and safety, not imminent (section 23.18)’. These registrations require the registrant to comply with all conditions of the regulation, such as:

• preparing a mitigation plan including the steps to minimize or avoid adverse effects of the activity and how the effectiveness of these steps will be monitored
• conducting training for those carrying out the activity on species and habitat identification for the species, the potential effects of the activity on the species
• carrying out the activity under the supervision of a person with expertise in the species

• 9
  registrations

Progress towards implementing government-supported actions

Government-supported actions are organized under overarching recovery objectives. Limited progress has been made towards the government-supported recovery objectives for this rare and cryptic species.

Objective: Increase knowledge of Proud Globelet presence in Ontario and if located, improve knowledge of existing populations, their habitat and site-specific threats:

• Action No. 2 (High Priority) – Develop, implement and promote a standardized survey protocol to survey for the presence/absence of Proud Globelet in Ontario and determine whether the species is currently extant. Surveys should:
  • be supplemented with identification material to accurately distinguish the species from other terrestrial snails
  • prioritize survey efforts in and around areas where shells have previously been found or reported (e.g., Black Oak Heritage Forest, Bois Blanc Island) and in additional areas with suitable habitat

Limited progress has been made towards Action No. 2. A stewardship partner conducted field work at the Black Oak Heritage Park in 2023 (in areas where shells have previously been found or reported) and did not find any additional specimens, improving our understanding of the species’ status.

Summary of progress towards meeting the recovery goal

The recovery goal for Proud Globelet is to support the persistence of the species in Ontario and fill knowledge gaps related to the current state of the species, its habitat and threats in Ontario. While initial progress has been made towards supporting the recovery goal for the species through implementing government-led GRS actions, more information is required regarding the persistence of the species in Ontario. Living individuals of Proud Globelet have never been collected despite periodic survey efforts in areas where they have been previously documented.

Recommendations

As stated in the GRS, this review of progress can be used to help identify whether adjustments are needed to achieve the protection and recovery of the species. While there has been limited progress made towards the action to develop, implement and promote a standardized survey protocol to survey for the presence/absence of Proud Globelet in Ontario and determine whether the species is currently extant, further work is required to fully implement this and other actions. Based on progress to-date, the overall direction provided in the GRS for Proud Globelet should continue to guide protection and recovery of the species, particularly those actions identified as high priority in the GRS.

Protecting and recovering Proud Globelet will continue to be a shared responsibility that will require the involvement of many individuals, organizations and communities. Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program. The government can also advise if any authorizations under the ESA or other legislation may be required to undertake a project. By working together, progress can continue to be made towards protecting and recovering Proud Globelet in Ontario.