Parks Canada’s National Program for Ecological Corridors was initiated to strengthen the network of protected areas across Canada through the creation of ecological corridors. To achieve this goal, Parks Canada sought out to develop tools for a common approach on the scientific and governance aspects of corridor creation and management. The National Priority Areas for Ecological Corridors (NPAECs) were developed using a scientific framework for national-scale prioritization of where ecological corridors are most urgently needed. Improving or maintaining ecological connectivity in these areas will greatly benefit biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation. The NPAECs were identified based on a methodology that is multivariate, data driven, national in scale, and spatially explicit at a coarse resolution. The Criteria for Ecological Corridors in Canada provide a common approach to ensure ecological corridors are managed and stewarded to maintain or restore effective ecological connectivity, while upholding Indigenous stewardship values. They are derived from the internationally recognized International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Guidelines on Connectivity and adapted to the Canadian context. The NPAECs geographic data layer, the list of datasets used to identify them, the Criteria and their accompanying guidance can be found below. More details and context about both program elements are available on the Program’s webpage (https://parks.canada.ca/nature/science/conservation/corridors-ecologiques-ecological-corridors).

The assessments layer represents all assessments undertaken under the Impact Assessment Act, including those that continue under the provisions of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. It includes assessments undertaken by the Impact Assessment Agency and other federal authorities as posted on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry Internet site. The location of a given assessment included in the dataset is approximate and is based on information submitted by proponents, if applicable. More than one location may be identified for a given assessment. This dataset does not include information related to the footprint. Additional information about this dataset is available on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry Internet site.

The Integrated Resource Plan - Local dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent the Local Integrated Resource Plans (IRP) in Alberta. A Local IRP provides land resource management direction for a relatively smaller geographic planning area. A Local Plan is developed to provide more detailed land and resource use parameters than may be available in a Sub-Regional Plan. An IRP is a plan which identifies the values and associated land and resource management goals for the planning area in consideration of the maintenance of social, economic, and ecological values. An IRP provides direction regarding the type of land and resource management activity that would facilitate meeting the stated objectives in the planning area (e.g. recreation, grazing, industrial and commercial activities). The public was often involved in contributing input to the development of an IRP. IRPs were endorsed by the Government of Alberta in various periods.

CHS offers 500-metre bathymetric gridded data for users interested in the topography of the seafloor. This data provides seafloor depth in metres and is accessible for download as predefined areas.

Launched in 2017, the Cumulative Effects of Marine Shipping (CEMS) initiative is part of Canada’s $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan, which is providing economic opportunities to Canadians today, while protecting our coasts and waterways for future generations. The Cumulative Effects of Marine Shipping initiative is another way that the Government of Canada is protecting our coasts and waterways. https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-pollution-environmental-response/cumulative-effects-marine-shipping As part of this initiative, Transport Canada is working with Indigenous partners and stakeholders in six pilot areas across Canada. Together, we are trying to understand the effects of marine shipping in various coastal areas. These pilot areas include: - North Coast British Columbia - South Coast British Columbia - St. Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers, Quebec - Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia - Placentia Bay, Newfoundland - Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures.

Provinces and Territories Basemap - Canada Provinces basemap file created to generate boundary polygons for use in small scale, medium and large scales. Simple Grey Basemap - This basemap is only in simple grey and white to be used as a backdrop in applications or geomatics projects. Line features represent provincial and territorial boundaries, international boundaries, exclusive economic zones, arcs extending to the North Pole, state boundaries, Canadian, USA and foreign countries rivers. Polygon features representing waterbodies in Canada, USA and foreign countries.

Polygons denoting concentrations of sea pens, small and large gorgonian corals and sponges on the east coast of Canada have been identified through spatial analysis of research vessel survey by-catch data following an approach used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in the Regulatory Area (NRA) on Flemish Cap and southeast Grand Banks. Kernel density analysis was used to identify high concentrations and the area occupied by successive catch weight thresholds was used to identify aggregations. These analyses were performed for each of the five biogeographic zones of eastern Canada. The largest sea pen fields were found in the Laurentian Channel as it cuts through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, while large gorgonian coral forests were found in the Eastern Arctic and on the northern Labrador continental slope. Large ball-shaped Geodia spp. sponges were located along the continental slopes north of the Grand Banks, while on the Scotian Shelf a unique population of the large barrel-shaped sponge Vazella pourtalesi was identified. The latitude and longitude marking the positions of all tows which form these and other dense aggregations are provided along with the positions of all tows which captured black coral, a non-aggregating taxon which is long-lived and vulnerable to fishing pressures. These polygons identify sponge grounds from the broader distribution of sponges in the region as sampled by Campelen trawl gear in the Newfoundland - Labrador Shelves biogeographic zone. A 200 kg minimum threshold for the sponge catch was identified as the weight that separated the sponge ground habitat from the broader distribution of sponges with these research vessel tow data and gear type.