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 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.

Tile layer of forest management in Canada, 2017 version. This is the tiled layer dataset of forest management in Canada, 2017 version. It is used in the Story Map of Forest Management in Canada, 2017.  All forest management classification codes are present in this dataset and include: Water (Managed Forest Code 100) Protected (Managed Forest Code 20) Treaty/Settlement (Managed Forest Code 40) Federal Reserve (Managed Forest Code 31) Indian Reserve (Managed Forest Code 32) Restricted (Managed Forest Code 33) Private (Managed Forest Code 50) Long-Term Tenure (Managed Forest Code 11) Short-Term Tenure (Managed Forest Code 12) Other (Managed Forest Code 13) Source: This tiled layer shows forest management in Canada areas, as of June 2017, and includes data provided by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; British Columbia Ministry of Forests; Manitoba Sustainable Development; Natural Resources Canada; New Brunswick Department of Energy and Resource Development; Newfoundland & Labrador Department of Fisheries and Land Resources; Northwest Territories Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry; Prince Edward Island Department of Communities, Land & Environment; Québec Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs; Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment; and Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources.

Canadas Managed Forests 2017 Albers Equal Area Canada's Managed Forests 2017 Albers Equal Area

The Planning for an Environmental Response (PIER) initiative falls under the umbrella of the Government of Canada's Oceans Protection Plan (OPP), whose goal is preserving marine ecosystems vulnerable to increased transportation and the development of the marine industry (https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/backgrounders/2016/11/07/canadas-oceans-protection-plan-preserving-and-restoring-canadas). The PIER was established in response to recommendations made in a 2013 report "A review of Canada's ship-source spill preparedness and response regime " by the Tanker Safety Expert Panel (https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/tanker-safety-expert-panel). One of the recommendations calls on Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to work with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to collect and compile information on sensitive species and environments for each Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) response area and make it publicly available. The PIERs’ main mandate is to acquire and update biological sensitivity data under its jurisdiction for preparation and response purposes in the event of an oil spill. With DFO-Science, PIER supports ECCC's National Environmental Emergencies Centre (NEEC) and the CCG in their preparations and responses through the sharing of data on biological sensitivities, the development of response tools and expert advice. In this vein, DFO published an analysis in 2018 that aimed to identify the most vulnerable components of the St. Lawrence in order to prioritize them during data collection if gaps were identified (Desjardins et al. 2018). This exercise highlighted the vulnerability of several biological components and important data gaps, particularly in coastal areas. As a result of this finding, the Quebec region PIEI team embarked on a collaborative project with the Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) to map eelgrass beds, tidal marshes and macroalgal beds. In consultation with other DFO-Science data producers, this team has also created datasets adapted for response purposes, notably regarding bivalves and marine mammals. These layers may be used for oil spill preparedness and response by DFO-Quebec Region's Environmental Incident Coordinator, NEEC and CCG. Several of them, deemed relevant in the first 72 hours following a spill, have been transmitted to the NEEC.

The Integrated Resource Plan - Subregional dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent the Sub-Regional Integrated Resource Plans (IRP) in Alberta. All the Sub-Regional IRPs were completed under the Integrated Resource Planning Program, from 1976 to approximately 1995. These plans were endorsed by the Government of Alberta with most being approved by Cabinet. The Sub-Regional Plans describe land-use zonation and objectives within individual defined planning areas, to ensure overall consistency with Regional goals and objectives. An Integrated Resource Plan (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 (for example: recreation, grazing, industrial and commercial activities). The public was often involved in contributing input to the development of an IRP. Majority of IRP plans were endorsed by the Government of Alberta in various periods.

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 wereperformed 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 small gorgonian coral fields from the broader distribution of small gorgonian corals in the region as sampled by Campelen trawl gear in the Eastern Arctic biogeographic zone. A 0.05 kg minimum threshold for the small gorgonian coral catch was identified as the weight that separated the small gorgonian field habitat from the broader distribution of small gorgoninan corals with these research vessel tow data and gear type.

Tile layer of private, managed forest code 50 used in the Story Map of Forest Management in Canada, 2017. Tile layer of private, managed forest code 50 used in the Story Map of Forest Management in Canada, 2017. Private lands were identified using provincial and territorial land ownership datasets. Detailed ownership datasets were not available in all jurisdictions, so proxies were used where necessary. In Saskatchewan, lands south of the province's Commercial Forest Zone were classified as Private. This includes some Crown lands, but these are generally small and not included in forest management plans or leased for commercial forestry purposes. Data provided by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; British Columbia Ministry of Forests; Manitoba Sustainable Development; Natural Resources Canada; New Brunswick Department of Energy and Resource Development; Newfoundland & Labrador Department of Fisheries and Land Resources; Northwest Territories Department of Environment and Natural Resources; Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry; Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry; Prince Edward Island Department of Communities, Land & Environment; Québec Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs; Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment; and Yukon Energy, Mines and Resources.

The selection of an Area of Interest (AOI) marks the beginning of the Oceans Act Marine Protected Area (MPA) establishment process led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The process includes completing detailed ecological and socioeconomic assessments, setting conservation objectives, determining boundaries and management measures, and eventually developing the regulations under section 35 of the Oceans Act. Collaboration, consultation, and engagement occurs with stakeholders and partners throughout each step of this process.