The dataset shows the boundaries of all Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in Manitoba, as designated by the Designation of Wildlife Lands Regulation under The Wildlife Act.

The purpose of this feature layer is to show the boundaries of all Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in Manitoba, as designated by the Designation of Wildlife Lands Regulation (171/2001) under The Wildlife Act (C.C.S.M. c. W130). The Manitoba Wildlife Act provides for the designation of Crown lands as Wildlife Management Areas for the "better management, conservation and enhancement of the wildlife resource of the province." Wildlife Management Areas exist for the benefit of wildlife and people's enjoyment. The areas play an important role in biodiversity conservation and provide for a variety of wildlife-related forms of recreation.The Use of Wildlife Lands Regulation (77/99) describes what activities are prohibited in certain WMAs, or portions thereof. Hunting and trapping are generally permitted in WMAs, but these activities may be prohibited or restricted in a few areas. The use of vehicles, off-road vehicles, watercraft, power boats, or airboats, may be restricted in some areas. Each WMA has its own set of restrictions in place to protect the integrity of the area. Some lands are permanently protected from hydro-electric exploration or development, logging or commercial forest harvesting, and mineral exploration or extraction.Boundaries are defined using the best available maps. The file is revised and updated on a continual basis. Fields included (Field Name: Field description.)NAME_E: The name of the wildlife management area.NOM_F: Le nom de zones de gestion de la faune.ZONE_ID: Nationally unique protected area zone identification number.ZONEDESC_E: A text description in English of the attributes and factors that required the delineation of this zone within the protected area.ZONEDESC_F: A text description in French of the attributes and factors that required the delineation of this zone within the protected area.BIOME: A single text character to distinguish between Marine and Terrestrial ecosystem or biome types.JUR_ID: Jurisdictional Unique Identification Number - a unique identifier defined by the jurisdiction.IUCN_CAT: The International Union for Conservation of Nature.(IUCN) category - assigns conservation values to each wildlife management area.O_AREA: Official Area in Hectares - the official area of the wildlife management area according to Director of Survey plans.LOC_E: The geographical location (province) of the wildlife management area.LOC_F: L'emplacement géographique (province) de zones de gestion de la faune.TYPE_E: The type of wildlife management area as set out by Manitoba's legislation.TYPE_F: Le type de zones de gestion de la faune établi par la législation de Manitoba.MGMT_E: The managing agency for the wildlife management area.MGMT_F: L'agence gérant de zones de gestion de la faune.LEGISL_E: Current legislation under which the wildlife management area is established.LEGISL_F: La législation actuelle sous qui zones de gestion de la faune est établi.STATUS_E: Legal status of the wildlife management area.STATUS_F: Statut de protection de zones de gestion de la faune.PROTDATE: Protection Date - year that the wildlife management area was first legally protected under legislation.OWNER_E: Describes the agency/organization/individual who owns the wildlife management area.OWNER_F: Décrit l'agence/l'organisation/l'individu qui est le propriétaire de zones de gestion de la faune.COMMENTS: Details about the Wildlfe Management Area.URL: Universal Resource Locator - the website of each agency associated with the wildlife management area.GIS_HA: Hectares calculated by ArcMap software. Not to be considered legal size of area.YR_DESG: Year Wildlife Management Area Designated - First year that the wildlife management area was first legally designated under legislation.GAZDATE: Gazette Date - public registry date that the wildlife management area was first legally protected under legislation (i.e. by the Use of Wildlife Lands Regulation).D_OF_S: Director of Surveys Plan Number - unique legal survey plan number also referred to in legal regulation document.DS_RG_NM: Designation of Wildlife Lands Regulation - The number of the regulation which designates land as a Wildlife Management Area under the Wildlife Act.US_RG__NM: Use of Wildlife Lands Regulation - The number of the regulation which prohibits certain activities under the Wildlife Act.US_RG_D: Use of Wildlife Lands Regulation - The date the regulation was registered.O_OF_M_D: Order of Minister Date - The date on which the Minister signed the order to withdraw crown mineral rights from a land parcel.MN_RG_NM: Manitoba Mines Regulation Number - The number of the regulation that officially states that crown mineral rights have been withdrawn from a land parcel.MN_RG_D: Mining Regulation Date - Date of the mines regulation that withdraws crown mineral rights from a land parcel.MN_GZ_D: Public registry date of the mining regulation that withdraws mineral rights from the wildlife management area.UNIT_SUB: Sub Unit - wildlife management areas may have individually named units.PROT_DATE: Protection Date - date that the wildlife management area was first legally protected under legislation.