There are both national and provincial processes in place to assess the status of species.  These process identify which species are at risk of extinction and are thus in need of conservation and recovery efforts, as well as identifying which species are protected under provincial and federal legislation.  For more information on the status assessment process please see below.

List of All ACPF Species
There are a total of 90 Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora (ACPF) species - view a Complete List of ACPF and their status.  All types of status assessments are included in this table: G Rank, S Rank, COSEWIC Status, NS Endangered Species Act (NS ESA) Status, and NS DNR General Status.  See below for explanation of status assessments and definitions.
 

ACPF Species at Risk
Summary of ACPF species at risk and their status under COSEWIC, NS Endangered Species Act, and NS DNR General Status Assessment processes (see below for explanation of assessment processes and definitions).

¹ COSEWIC Status: E = Endangered, T = Threatened, SC = Special Concern
² NS Endangered Species Act Status: E = Endangered, T = Threatened, V = Vulnerable

Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora (ACPF) Species Status Summary:

• The ACPF is a diverse group of 90 taxonomically unrelated wetland plant species, including flowering plants, shrubs, and herbs
   
• 11 species of Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora that are at risk of extinction and are legally protected through federal and/or provincial legislation
   
• 5 of NS’s ACPF are globally rare: Pink Coreopsis (Coreopsis rosea), New Jersey Rush (Juncus caesariensis), Plymouth Gentian (Sabatia kennedyana), Long's Bulrush (Scirpus longii), and Goldenrod (Euthamia galetorum).
   

• Over 50% of these ACPF species are common (Green)

Summary table of the number of species with a specific ranking or status and the percentage of all 90 ACPF species.  See below for explanation of Status/Ranking.

Status Assessment Process
National Status: Nationally the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assesses and assigns a status or rank of Endangered, Threatened, or species of Special Concern.  These species will be legally listed and protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).  Within the national process species assessments are considered within a national context.

Provincial Status: In Nova Scotia, species are assessed and assigned a status by the NS Species at Risk Working Group, taking into account provincial-level considerations.  Once a species is assigned a category of Endangered, Threatened, or Vulnerable, it is listed under the NS Endangered Species Act and is legally protected.

Also, provincially, there is the General Status Assessment process which provides a first alert tool for identifying species that are potentially at risk in the province.  Species are assigned a status of Red, Yellow, Green, and Undetermined.

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Status Definitions
NS Endangered Species Act (NS ESA):
Species listed as at risk by the NS Species at Risk Working Group are approved by the responsible minister and are included on the list of species at risk in NS and are then protected under the provincial NS Endangered Species Act. 

The NS Species at Risk Working Group status is assigned based on an assessment of biological factors and rigorous assessment criteria, followed by classification into categories based on level of risk.  Status categories are as follows:

• Endangered - a species facing imminent extirpation or extinction. 

• Threatened - a species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. 

• Vulnerable - a species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

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COSEWIC Status:
Species listed as at risk by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) are approved by the appropriate minister and are included on the Schedule 1 which means they are protected under the national Species at Risk Act (SARA). 

The COSEWIC status is assigned based on an assessment of biological factors and rigorous assessment criteria, followed by classification into categories based on level of risk.  Status categories are as follows:

• Endangered - a species facing imminent extirpation or extinction. 

• Threatened - a species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. 

• Special Concern - (formerly “vulnerable”) a species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

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NS DNR General Status Rankings:
The Nova Scotia General Status Rankings are based on a set of criteria that are evaluated by a group of scientists and wildlife experts.  NS General Status ranks are as follows:

• Red - any species known to be, or believed to be, at risk.

• Yellow - any species known to be, or believed to be, particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events. 

• Green - any species known to be, or believed to be, not at risk. 

• Grey - Indeterminate species, insufficient information to determine status

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International Global Ranks (G-Rank) 
A standardised element ranking system that has evolved over 23 years with input from hundreds of scientists is used by the Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Data Centres.  The ranks are assigned by committees of experts, the Conservation Data Centre and provincial biologists. 

• G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences or less than 1000 individuals) or because of extreme vulnerability to extinction due to some natural or man-made factor.

• G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 to 20 occurrences or less than 3000 individual) or because of vulnerability to extinction due to some natural or man-made factor.

• G3 - Either very rare and local throughout its range (21 to 100 occurrences or less than 10,000 individuals) or locally in a restricted range or vulnerable to extinction from other factors.

• G4 - Apparently secure globally (may be rare in parts of its range).

• G5 - Demonstrably secure globally.

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International Sub-national (S-Rank):

• S1 - Extremely rare throughout its range in the province (typically 5 or fewer occurrences or very few remaining individuals). May be especially vulnerable to extirpation.

• S2 - Rare throughout its range in the province (6 to 20 occurrences or few remaining individuals). May be vulnerable to extirpation due to rarity or other factors.

• S3 - Uncommon throughout its range in the province, or found only in a restricted range, even if abundant in at some locations. (21 to 100 occurrences).

• S4 - Usually widespread, fairly common throughout its range in the province, and apparently secure with many occurrences, but the Element is of long-term concern (e.g. watch list).  (100+occurrences).

• S5 - Demonstrably widespread, abundant, and secure throughout its range in the province, and essentially ineradicable under present conditions.

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