Green Dragon Government Response Statement

Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium) is a perennial herb in the Arum family (Araceae), which also includes the more familiar Jack-in-the-Pulpit (A. triphyllum). It grows along rivers, creeks and clay floodplains in moist deciduous woods and thickets, typically in seasonally flooded locations that are shaded or partially shaded by surrounding trees.

Green Dragon is found from Texas and Florida north to Wisconsin, Ontario, Quebec and New York. Current data suggest that there are between 60 and 80 extant occurrences of Green Dragon in Ontario. In Ontario, it occurs southwest of a line from Hamilton to the Maitland River in Huron County.

Special concern in Ontario

The protection and management of species of special concern is a key part of protecting Ontario’s biodiversity. Biodiversity—the variety of life 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 managing species of special concern and their habitats. A species is classified as special concern if it lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

Government response statements

The management plan for Green Dragon was completed on June 28, 2013. Management plans are prepared for the Government of Ontario based on the current scientific knowledge for each species and identify approaches for the management of species of special concern.

This response statement is the government’s policy response (subsection 12 (5) of the ESA) to the pos- sible actions identified in the management plan. The response statement summarizes the actions that the Government of Ontario intends to take in response to the management plan and the government priorities in taking those actions. The response also reflects the best available knowledge at this time and may be modified if new information becomes available.

Moving forward to protect and manage Green Dragon

Green Dragon is listed as a species of special concern under the ESA. The main threats to Green Dragon populations in Ontario are habitat loss and degradation. This species is specially adapted to survival in forested floodplain habitat and therefore is susceptible to habitat alterations such as changes to the forest canopy structure or the hydrology of the site. The species is found in the most heavily populated and modified parts of Ontario where historical impacts on its floodplain habitat have been extensive. Floodplains are currently protected through zoning, however, development on adjacent upland areas may impact hydrology and introduce other threats (e.g., invasive species, trampling along trails). Hardening of surfaces through paving of roads and building construction results in water level peaks and more severe spring flooding. Due to historical and ongoing development, Green Dragon is confined to increasingly small, isolated habitat fragments in Ontario.

Management goal

The Government of Ontario’s goal for the management of Green Dragon is to achieve and maintain viable population levels at extant locations in Ontario.

Management objectives and actions

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 are those that the government will directly undertake to protect and manage the species. Government- supported actions are those that are endorsed by the government as being necessary for the protection and management of the species. Support for conservation agencies, municipalities, industry partners and Aboriginal communities to undertake actions will be provided where appropriate through funding, and advisory services.

Government-led management actions

• Encourage the submission of Green Dragon data to the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre.

Government-supported management actions

1. Develop a standardized survey and monitoring protocol and implement the protocol to:
   • Identify Green Dragon occurrences in Ontario; and,
   • Assess population size and health, reproduction, habitat quality threats and limiting factors at occupied sites.
   Priority: Medium

Government-led management actions

• Continue to implement protection for species of special concern and their habitat through Provincial Park management planning process.
• Encourage municipalities to consider the habitat of Green Dragon as significant wildlife habitat and/or significant woodland under the Provincial Policy Statement.
• Continue to implement the Ontario Invasive Species Strategic Plan to address the invasive species that threaten Green Dragon.
• Encourage planning and environmental authorities to consider the conservation of Green Dragon in management planning and decision making (e.g., water management plans, drainage works, forest management plans).

Government-supported management actions

2. Develop projects and initiatives to encourage retention and management of floodplain forests and their connectivity and shoreline naturalization within the range of Green Dragon.
   Priority: High
3. Support site specific management efforts to maintain viable population levels (e.g., invasive species management at high priority sites and trail management).
   Priority: High

Government-supported management actions

4. Conduct research to determine minimum viable population size requirements.
   Priority: Low
5. Conduct research into impacts of invasive species on Green Dragon (e.g., plants, earthworms and forest pests).
   Priority: Low
6. Investigate dispersal mechanisms and factors influencing reproductive success.
   Priority: Medium
7. Conduct necessary research into the conservation genetics of Green Dragon in Ontario, to identify populations with low genetic diversity.
   Priority: Low
8. Investigate and identify sites and the feasibility of establishing new populations to enhance connectivity and gene flow between populations.
   Priority: Low

Government-led management actions

• Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario.

Government-supported management actions

9. Develop Best Management Practices and other information materials to inform land managers and land owners about the significance, biological needs and stewardship of Green Dragon.
   Priority: High

Implementing actions

Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund, Species at Risk Research Fund for Ontario, and the Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program. Conservation partners are encouraged to discuss project proposals related to the actions in this response statement with the Ministry of Natural Resources.

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.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank all those who participated in the development of the “Management Plan for Green Dragon (Arisaema dracontium) in Ontario” for their dedication to protecting and managing species of special concern.

For additional information

Visit the Species at Risk website
Contact your MNR district office
Contact the Natural Resources Information Centre
1-800-667-1940
TTY: 1-866-686-6072
Email: NRISC@ontario.ca
Website: Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry