Critical Habitat Areas for Terrestrial Species at Risk in Canada

Geospatial data identifies areas containing critical habitat for terrestrial species at risk listed under Canada's Species at Risk Act. The dataset is maintained by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Parks Canada Agency, with updates reflected as of the most recent revision. It must be used alongside official recovery documents from the Species at Risk Public Registry for accurate interpretation.

Use Cases

• Map critical habitat geospatial boundaries for listed terrestrial species to support conservation planning.
• Analyze the distribution of critical habitat areas relative to land use or development projects.
• Identify regions where sensitive data are represented by coarse grid indicators (1, 10, 50, or 100 square kilometres).
• Cross-reference geospatial boundaries with biological and environmental features described in species recovery documents.

Strengths

• Officially sourced from Environment and Climate Change Canada, the federal authority under the Species at Risk Act.
• Includes data for terrestrial species where ECCC and Parks Canada Agency lead recovery efforts.
• Provides multiple file formats (XLSX, WMS, FGDB/GDB, ESRI REST) for different analytical needs.

Limitations

• Excludes aquatic species and species led by other authorities, limiting scope to terrestrial habitats.
• Critical habitat definition requires external recovery documents from the SAR Public Registry, creating a dependency.
• Sensitive areas are only represented by coarse grids, reducing spatial precision for those locations.

Provenance

Source

Environment and Climate Change Canada | Environnement et Changement climatique Canada

Collection Method

Defined through federal recovery strategies and action plans under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Time Range

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Freshness

Data is current as of the date of the most recent revision, with a last platform update recorded in March 2026.

Geography

Canada