Subnational rank
Encyclopedia
SRANK or Subnational Rank seeks to ascertain the rarity of species
within subnational boundaries (such as a province
or state).
Below is the ranking definitions used by the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources
, and will vary by province or state.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
within subnational boundaries (such as a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
or state).
Below is the ranking definitions used by the Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Ministry of Natural Resources
Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)
The Ministry of Natural Resources is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that responsible for Ontario’s provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands and waters that make up 87 per cent of the province...
, and will vary by province or state.
- SX — Presumed Extirpated Species or community is believed to be extirpated from the province or state. Not located despite intensive searches of historical sites and other appropriate habitat, and virtually no likelihood that it will be rediscovered.
- SH — Possibly Extirpated (Historical) Species or community occurred historically in the province or state, and there is some possibility that it may be rediscovered. Its presence may not have been verified in the past 20–40 years. A species or community could become SH without such a 20-40 year delay if the only known occurrences in a province or state were destroyed or if it had been extensively and unsuccessfully looked for. The SH rank is reserved for species or communities for which some effort has been made to relocate occurrences, rather than simply using this status for all elements not known from verified extant occurrences.
- S1 — Critically Imperiled Critically imperiled in the province or state because of extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer occurrences) or because of some factor(s) such as very steep declines making it especially vulnerable to extirpation from the province or state.
- S2 — Imperiled Imperiled in the province or state because of rarity due to very restricted range, very few populations (often 20 or fewer), steep declines, or other factors making it very vulnerable to extirpation from the province or state.
- S3 — Vulnerable Vulnerable in the province or state due to a restricted range, relatively few populations (often 80 or fewer), recent and widespread declines, or other factors making it vulnerable to extirpation.
- S4 — Apparently Secure Uncommon but not rare; some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors.
- S5 — Secure Common, widespread, and abundant in the state or province.
- SNR — Unranked Province or state conservation status not yet assessed.
- SU — Unrankable Currently unrankable due to lack of information or due to substantially conflicting information about status or trends.
- SNA — Not Applicable A conservation status rank is not applicable because the species is not a suitable target for conservation activities.
- S#S# — Range Rank A numeric range rank (e.g., S2S3) is used to indicate any range of uncertainty about the status of the species or community. Ranges cannot skip more than one rank (e.g., SU is used rather than S1S4).