Dr. Gráinne McCabe
Chief Conservation Officer,
Wilder Institute
Saving species, restoring ecosystems, and empowering communities to sustainably manage their natural resources are goals that the Wilder Institute aims to achieve through its inclusive conservation approach.
Animals and plants in the wild face serious challenges. Between 1970 and 2014, wildlife population sizes globally dropped a staggering 60 per cent, mainly due to unsustainable hunting and harvesting, along with habitat loss and degradation. This loss affects us all because human survival depends on fully functioning and diverse ecosystems.
A Wilder purpose
The Wilder Institute is a leading authority on wildlife conservation, reintroducing threatened species to the wild, and enabling community ownership over conservation of their own natural resources to the benefit of both nature and people. Working with local and global partners, the Wilder Institute is developing evidence-based solutions that have a positive impact through its 12 priority programs. The Archibald Biodiversity Centre is a one-of-a-kind conservation facility located on 333 acres of land in Wheatfield County and supports many of the Wilder Institute’s conservation breeding programs.
Here’s a closer look at some of the Wilder Institute’s priority programs and their impact:
Northern Leopard Frog Program
Established in 2017, this program strives to bolster the Rocky Mountain subpopulation of the Northern Leopard Frog (endangered under the Species at Risk Act) by reintroducing them into areas within their historic range in British Columbia. Frogs are bred under human care and tracked and monitored by the Wilder Institute after release to assess their survival and breeding status, using autonomous recording units and visual encounter surveys. In 2024, the Wilder Institute released 6,127 northern leopard frog tadpoles into the area.
Vancouver Island Marmot Program
The Wilder Institute is one of three facilities that breed Vancouver Island marmots, Canada’s most endangered mammal, for release in the wild. The Marmot Recovery Foundation (MRF) is a key program partner, leading the reintroduction and release process of marmots into the wild. This collaborative effort has helped grow the Vancouver Island marmot population from just 30 individuals in 2003 to over 200 as of 2025.
Whooping Crane Program
Once widely found across North America, whooping cranes were reduced to just 21 birds by the 1940s due to hunting and habitat loss. Since 1992, the Wilder Institute has led Canada’s only conservation breeding program for this species. With the support of our partners, including the International Crane Foundation (ICF), chicks hatched at the Archibald Biodiversity Centre (ABC) are either released into wild populations or become part of the Wilder Institute’s breeding program. As of 2023, an estimated 698 whooping cranes live in the wild.
Curiously Isolated Hairstreak Butterfly
This small grassland butterfly is found in only one area of Alberta’s Waterton Lakes National Park. The presence of spotted knapweed, an invasive plant species that competes with native vegetation, is believed to be a threat to the curiously isolated hairstreak’s population. Additionally, the butterfly’s population severely declined following the 2017 Kenow wildfire that burned through more than 50 per cent of its habitat.
The Wilder Institute is working with its partners, including Parks Canada, to monitor the curiously isolated hairstreak’s population and explore conservation actions. Because this species is so genetically distinct, interventions like wild-to-wild translocations from other populations are not viable. By gaining more insight into the butterfly’s history, behaviour, and interactions with other species, the Wilder Institute aims to find tailored, site-specific strategies to enhance its population in Waterton Lakes National Park.
Make Canada wilder
The vibrant sounds of a healthy ecosystem are fading, and nature in Canada is under increasing pressure. As species disappear and ecosystems shrink, both biodiversity and our well-being are affected. One in five species in Canada is now at risk of extinction. For more than 270 of them, habitat protection alone isn’t enough. Without direct conservation action, these species will vanish—quietly and forever.
“We can’t let Canada’s landscapes fall silent,” says Dr. Grainne McCabe, Chief Conservation Officer at the Wilder Institute.
“We know conservation works—species can come back from the brink—but habitat protection alone isn’t enough. That’s why we’re working hand-in-hand with conservation organizations, Indigenous knowledge keepers, landowners, communities, governments, and global partners to take meaningful action. Through this inclusive conservation approach, we’re not only helping species recover but also safeguarding the ecosystems that sustain both wildlife and human life—for generations to come.”
To help secure a future for Canada’s at-risk species, the Wilder Institute has developed the Wilder Canada Action Plan. This visionary 10-year action plan initiates targeted conservation translocations for animals and plants at risk of extinction – the largest coordinated approach to species recovery in our country’s history.
To learn more about how you can support the Wilder Institute and protect Canada’s wildlife, please visit wilderinstitute.org.
