A photo of a Bogbean Buckmoth sitting on a plant.

The Bogbean Buckmoth is a rare moth known to occur only in New York State and near Ottawa in Ontario. Adult Bogbean Buckmoths are medium to large in size with forewings measuring 26 to 36 mm in length. Wings are wide and black with white wing bands and wavy or scalloped outer edges. Each wing has a small circular spot.

Protecting and recovering Species at Risk in Ontario

Species at risk recovery is a key part of protecting Ontario’s biodiversity. Biodiversity – the variety of living organisms on Earth – provides us with clean air and water, food, fibre, medicine and other resources that we need to survive.

The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) is the Government of Ontario’s legislative commitment to protecting and recovering species at risk and their habitats. As soon as a species is listed as extirpated, endangered or threatened under the ESA, it is automatically protected from harm or harassment. Also, immediately upon listing, the habitats of endangered and threatened species are protected from damage or destruction.

Under the ESA, the Ministry of Natural Resources (the Ministry) must ensure that a recovery strategy is prepared for each species that is listed as endangered or threatened. A recovery strategy provides science-based advice to government on what is required to achieve recovery of a species.

Government response statements

Within nine months after a recovery strategy is prepared, the ESA requires the Ministry to publish a statement summarizing the government’s intended actions and priorities in response to the recovery strategy. The recovery strategy for the Bogbean Buckmoth was published on December 7, 2011.

The response statement is the government’s policy response to the scientific advice provided in the recovery strategy. In addition to the strategy, the response statement is based on input from stakeholders, other jurisdictions, Aboriginal communities and members of the public. It reflects the best available traditional, local and scientific knowledge at this time and may be adapted if new information becomes available. In implementing the actions in the response statement, the ESA allows the Ministry to determine what is feasible, taking into account social and economic factors.

Moving forward to protect and recover Bogbean Buckmoth

The Bogbean Buckmoth is listed as an endangered species under the ESA, which protects both the animal and its habitat. The ESA prohibits harm or harassment of the species and damage or destruction of its habitat without authorization. Such authorization would require that conditions established by the Ministry be met.

The Bogbean Buckmoth has an extremely limited geographic range in Ontario, occupying an area that amounts to less than three square kilometres. The species is found in two wetlands near Ottawa, the Richmond Fen Wetland and White Lake Fen Wetland Complex. The Bogbean Buckmoth occurs only in fen habitats and is dependent on Bogbean, a wetland plant found in low shrub fens, for early stage larval feeding. The dominant threats to Bogbean Buckmoth include habitat loss and degradation caused by water level fluctuations, land development, invasive plants outcompeting the species' host plants, and insecticides.

The government’s goal for the recovery of Bogbean Buckmoth is to sustain current population levels and distributions at existing locations, and to encourage the natural expansion of the species into suitable but currently unoccupied habitat within its current range in Ontario.

Protecting and recovering species at risk is a shared responsibility. No single agency or organization has the knowledge, authority or financial resources to protect and recover all of Ontario’s species at risk. Successful recovery requires inter-governmental co-operation and the involvement of many individuals, organizations and communities.

In developing the government response statement, the Ministry considered what actions are feasible for the government to lead directly and what actions are feasible for the government to support its conservation partners to undertake.

Government-led actions

To help protect and recover the Bogbean Buckmoth, the government will directly undertake the following actions:

  • Educate other agencies and authorities involved in planning and environmental assessment processes on the protection requirements under the ESA.
  • Encourage the submission of Bogbean Buckmoth data to the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre.
  • Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario.
  • Protect the Bogbean Buckmoth and its habitat through the ESA. Develop and enforce a regulation identifying the specific habitat of the species.
  • Support conservation, agency, municipal and industry partners and Aboriginal communities to undertake activities to protect and recover the Bogbean Buckmoth.
  • Support will be provided where appropriate through funding, agreements, permits (including conditions) and advisory services.
  • Establish and communicate annual priority actions for government support in order to encourage collaboration and reduce duplication of efforts.

Government-supported actions

The government endorses the following actions as being necessary for the protection and recovery of the Bogbean Buckmoth. Actions identified as "high" will be given priority consideration for funding or for authorizations under the ESA. The government will focus its support on these high-priority actions over the next five years.

Focus area:

Inventory and Monitoring

Objective:

Determine distribution and abundance of Bogbean Buckmoth.

Actions:

  1. (High) Develop and implement a standardized inventory and monitoring program for Bogbean Buckmoth at occupied and unoccupied sites with suitable habitat to determine current population numbers and trends.

Focus area:

Threat Management

Objective:

Evaluate threats and, where appropriate, implement mitigation measures.

Actions:

  1. (High) Assess the risk posed to Bogbean Buckmoth by invasive species (e.g., Narrow-leaved Cattail, European Common Reed) and, where appropriate, implement invasive species control within and adjacent to occupied fen ecosystems.
  2. Evaluate the hydrology of Bogbean Buckmoth wetland habitat, determine the species' tolerance to ranges of fluctuation in water levels, and identify watershed management options that may mitigate harmful impacts.
  3. Determine the extent to which suspected threats, such as insecticide applications are impacting Bogbean Buckmoth.
  4. As opportunities arise, support the securement of habitat of Bogbean Buckmoth through existing land securement and stewardship programs.

Implementing actions

Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund, Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program or Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program. Conservation partners are encouraged to discuss project proposals related to the actions in this response statement with the Ministry. The Ministry can also advise if any authorizations under the ESA or other legislation may be required to undertake the project.

Implementation of the actions may be subject to changing priorities across the multitude of species at risk, available resources and the capacity of partners to undertake recovery activities. Where appropriate, the implementation of actions for multiple species will be co-ordinated across government response statements.

Reviewing progress

The ESA requires the Ministry to conduct a review of progress towards protecting and recovering a species not later than five years from the publication of this response statement. The review will help identify if adjustments are needed to achieve the protection and recovery of the Bogbean Buckmoth.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank all those who participated in the development of the "Recovery Strategy for the Bogbean Buckmoth in Ontario" for their dedication to protecting and recovering species at risk.