Canada, with its vast expanses of land and abundance of resources, is home to many unique and complex habits that support a number of species important. Environmental policies play a key role in the survival of many endangered animal and plant species and guide conservation efforts in Ontario. In order to protect imperiled species and conserve their habitats, government officials must place greater emphasis on creating effective policies that target root problems and help solve fundamental problems such as habitat loss, pollution and human interaction with these species and their environment. Species at risk and endangered species have a very similar definition and therefore will be used interchangeably. Here is the definition of a species at risk given by Parks Canada (2009): “Species at risk are at risk of becoming extinct (extinct from the world) like dinosaurs or at risk of becoming extinct (extinct from a certain part of the world) like dinosaurs. wolf in Nova Scotia. Species at risk are generally at risk because of environmental or human-induced changes to them or their habitat on a local, regional or global scale. In class, some of the various animal species at risk were discussed, but plant species and smaller autotrophic organisms were not detailed. They will therefore be excluded from the purposes of this article, although many of these species are just as important as animal species. This essay will examine the many problems these animals face in their attempt to survive. Habitat loss, pollution, and human interactions (humans interfering with their habitat) are among the most pressing problems facing wildlife species such as the American badger, barn owl, and wood turtle. paper......Softshell. Species at risk. http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&id=97&lang=en Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. (2008a). Snuffbox. Species at risk. http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&id=284&lang=en Parks Canada. (2009). Definition of “species at risk”. Retrieved from http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ns/cbreton/natcul/natcul1/d/i.aspx Parks Canada. (2010). Getting to know the “big bad wolf”: conserving the eastern wolf population in La Mauricie National Park. Successful recovery stories of endangered species. http://www.pc.gc.ca/nature/eep-sar/itm11/itm11e.aspxVenter, O., Brodeur, N., Nemiroff, L., Belland, B., Dolinsek, I., Grant, J . (2006). Threats to endangered species in Canada. BioScience, 56(11), 903-910. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). (2013). Threat overview and impact. In the Pollution section. http://worldwildlife.org/threats/pollution