Important Areas for Vertebrates in Strait of Georgia Ecoregion

Geospatial data details Important Areas for key vertebrate species, excluding fish and cetaceans, in the Strait of Georgia ecoregion. Fisheries and Oceans Canada mapped these areas based on expert rankings using criteria like Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences to inform the selection of Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas. Initial assessments occurred from 2004-2005, with subsequent efforts in 2009.

Use Cases

• Map Important Areas for vertebrate species based on Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences criteria to support marine spatial planning.
• Analyze the spatial distribution of Important Areas within the Strait of Georgia ecoregion to identify potential Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas.
• Compare vertebrate Important Areas with separate datasets for birds, cetaceans, and fish to assess ecosystem-level conservation priorities.

Strengths

• Data is part of a formal science advisory process for identifying Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas under Canada's Oceans Act.
• Assessment involved expert ranking based on three specific criteria: Uniqueness, Aggregation, and Fitness Consequences.
• Data collection is considered complete, providing a stable baseline for analysis.

Limitations

• Assessment methods and scientific advisors differed between the 2004-2005 and 2009 collection efforts, potentially affecting consistency.
• The dataset is one of a series; a full ecological assessment requires joining with separate datasets for other species groups like birds and fish.
• Emergence of significant new data may render some areas outdated, though updates are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Collection Method

Expert assessment and spatial data collection, coordinated for different regions and time periods.

Time Range

Initial assessment 2004-2005; subsequent efforts in 2009.

Freshness

Data collection is complete; last platform update was 2026-03-24.

Geography

Strait of Georgia ecoregion, Canadian Pacific marine waters.