Aweme Borer Moth

Species information

The following is a report on progress made towards the protection and recovery of Aweme Borer Moth (Papaipema aweme) in Ontario from 2007 to 2020, 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”). Aweme Borer Moth is listed as endangered on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List under the ESA.

Aweme Borer Moth was listed as an endangered species under the ESA when the Act came into force in June 2008.

The species-specific recovery policy for Aweme Borer Moth, known as the Government Response Statement (GRS), was published in 2016 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, 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 Aweme Borer Moth, 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 Aweme Borer Moth A summary on the progress towards the protection and recovery of Aweme Borer Moth and an annual update on the broader species at risk program (i.e. the Introduction to the 2021 Review of Progress report) is available on the Review of Review of Progress towards the Protection and Recovery of Ontario’s Species at Risk webpage.

Snapshot: Progress towards the protection and recovery of Aweme Borer Moth

Progress towards meeting the recovery goal

• The recovery goal in the Government Response Statement (GRS) for Aweme Borer Moth in Ontario is to “support the persistence of the species within Ontario by increasing our knowledge of the species and its habitat which will better inform the application of protection”.
• Progress has been made towards implementing all the government-led actions. Progress has been made towards implementing one of the government-supported recovery objectives and all of its associated actions. Examples of progress include:
  • determining the identity of the Aweme Borer Moth larval host plant by coordinating survey and research efforts and sharing information with researchers and partners in Ontario, Manitoba, and Minnesota
  • confirming the presence/absence of the species at locations with known occurrences through the collection and positive identification of an adult individual
  • documenting the vegetation at survey sites to inform surveys for additional populations in areas with suitable habitat
• In alignment with the GRS, greater efforts are needed to maintain the habitat for Aweme Borer Moth at existing locations.

Occurrences and distribution

• Four populations of Aweme Borer Moth have been documented in Ontario. Currently, three of these populations are extant, whereas the remaining population is considered historical ^{footnote 1[1]} . Two observations of Aweme Borer Moth have been newly-identified since 2008.

Government-supported stewardship projects

• Through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program, the Government of Ontario has enabled its stewardship partners to conduct one project focused exclusively on Aweme Borer Moth.

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery

• The Government of Ontario has issued one ‘protection or recovery’ permit under clause 17(2)(b) of the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) for this species.
• Three activities have been registered for the species. The activities were registered under ‘Notice of drainage works’ (section 23.9) and “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 Aweme Borer Moth

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 government-led actions identified in the GRS. Common actions for the government to lead as it works towards achieving a species’ recovery goal include:

• Educate other agencies and authorities involved in planning and environmental assessment processes on the protection requirements under the ESA.
• Encourage the submission of Aweme Borer Moth data to the Government of Ontario’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 Aweme Borer Moth 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 the Aweme Borer Moth. 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.

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

Occurrences and distribution

First collected in Ontario in 1936, four populations of Aweme Borer Moth have been documented in Ontario. Three are considered extant (i.e., observed within the past 20 years), and one is considered historical. The extant populations are located in Agassiz Peatlands, Manitoulin Island, and Richmond Fen.

Since 2008, the government’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) has received two records of the species. These records are based on observations in 2016 and 2020 and come from two different sources, from deliberate targeted sampling, with both these sites (Agassiz Peatlands and Richmond Fen) being new occurrences. Records submitted have helped to refine where the species is known and has been known to occur and have provided additional information on the species’ distribution, habitat and threats. Each of the documented observations for this species are from single individuals, with the exception of the 2020 observation which was of 4 larvae. The newly identified occurrences are likely the result of increased search effort and education about Aweme Borer Moth and may not represent actual population increases, but rather increased knowledge about the distribution of the species.

It is possible that there are observations of Aweme Borer Moth that have not been submitted to the government. Everyone is encouraged, or may be required by an authorization or approval to submit observations of Aweme Borer Moth, and any other species at risk observed, to the NHIC for incorporation into the provincial record of observations, as submitting observation of this species is included in the GRS as a government-led action.

• 2
  observations of this species were submitted to the NHIC since 2008

Government-supported stewardship projects

An important government-led action in the GRS for Aweme Borer Moth is to support partners to undertake activities to protect and recover the species. Through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program the government has supported one project designed to contribute to the protection and recovery of Aweme Borer Moth ^{footnote 2[2]} .

In 2016, Winter Spider Eco-Consulting coordinated a group of eight researchers across Ontario and into the prairies to search for the Aweme Borer Moth to reconfirm its presence in Canada. After 24 nights of trapping in Ontario, one Aweme Borer Moth was found at one location in Agassiz Peatland, Ontario, as well as at sites in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In addition to confirming species presence in the wild in Ontario, potential habitat was identified for future searches. This project supported the GRS objective to increase knowledge of Aweme Borer Moth biology, distribution and abundance.

Species at Risk Stewardship Program

• 
  1

  project for Aweme Borer Moth exclusively

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery

Supporting partners through authorizations and their associated conditions is an important government-led action.

One permit has been issued for Aweme Borer Moth since the species has been protected under the ESA, which was a ‘protection or recovery’ (17(2)(b)) permit. ‘Protection or recovery’ permits are issued if the purpose of the activity is to assist in the protection or recovery of a species at risk. This permit was issued exclusively for Aweme Borer Moth. This permit enabled the collection of the Aweme Borer Moth for research purposes, described above under the section Government-supported stewardship projects.

Three activities that may affect Aweme Borer Moth or its habitat have been registered for the purposes of Ontario Regulation 242/08 under the ESA. One activity was registered under ‘Notice of drainage works’ (section 23.9) and two activities were registered under ‘Threats to human health or safety- not imminent’ (section 23.18). These registrations require the registrant to comply with all conditions of the regulation, such as:

• ensuring that reasonable steps are taken to minimize adverse effects of the activity on the species identified in the notice of activity form
• preparing a mitigation plan using best available information on steps that may help minimize or avoid adverse effects on the species
• reporting observations of the species using the Ontario Species at Risk Observation Reporting Form and submitting them to the NHIC

• 1
  protection or recovery permit
• 3
  registrations

Progress towards implementing government-supported actions

Government-supported actions are organized under overarching recovery objectives. Progress has been made towards achieving one government-supported recovery objective and implementing a majority of the associated actions identified in the GRS for Aweme Borer Moth.

Under this objective, progress has been made towards implementing all actions. Action No. 1 has been implemented through a project supported by the Species at Risk Stewardship Program. The identity of a larval host plant was determined following successful in-laboratory rearing of Aweme Borer Moth larvae by researchers based out of the U.S.A and has been published in the Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society in November 2017 (Johnson et al., 2017).

Progress has been made towards Action No. 2 through the same project supported by the Species at Risk Stewardship Program, as well as through monitoring observations reported to and verified by the NHIC. Presence/absence surveys were conducted by a Species at Risk Stewardship Program project, locating one adult Aweme Borer Moth in one location. Two of the recent observations reported to the NHIC are in locations where the species had not been previously known to occur. Vegetation data was also compiled, highlighting primary fens as suitable sites (Johnson et al., 2017).

To date, no progress has been made under this objective.

Summary of progress towards meeting the recovery goal

The recovery goal for Aweme Borer Moth is to “support the persistence of the species within Ontario by increasing our knowledge of the species and its habitat which will better inform the application of protection”. Effort made towards the government-led and government-supported actions has helped to make progress towards this goal. For example, continued monitoring efforts at sites that are known to have had occurrences of Aweme Borer Moth have reconfirmed its presence in Ontario and identified new locations where the species is located.

Recommendations

As stated in the GRS, this review of progress can be used to help identify whether adjustments to the implementation of GRS actions are needed, to achieve the protection and recovery of the species. Based on progress to date, the overall direction provided in the GRS for Aweme Borer Moth, particularly the implementation of the action identified as high priority, should continue to guide protection and recovery of the species.

Additional work is needed to maintain the habitat for Aweme Borer Moth at existing locations. Relative to actions that have received a stronger initial level of support, the following action has received less attention and is identified for consideration in future work towards the protection and recovery of the species:

• Action No. 3 - Maintain the presence of habitat at existing sites where Aweme Borer Moth has been found by limiting access to existing sites for activities that may pose a significant threat to the species and managing the habitat, as appropriate (e.g., removal of invasive species).

Protecting and recovering Aweme Borer Moth 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 Aweme Borer Moth in Ontario.

References

• Johnson, K. E., Badgero, D. R., and McBride, A. 2017. Natural history and distribution of Papaipema aweme (Noctuidae). The Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society, 71(4), pp. 199-210.