Wildlife habitat areas (WHAs) are mapped areas that are necessary to meet the habitat requirements of an Identified Wildlife element. WHAs designate critical habitats in which activities are managed to limit their impact on the Identified Wildlife element for which the area was established. The purpose of WHAs is to conserve those habitats considered most limiting to a given Identified Wildlife element. This dataset contains proposed WHAs for the entire province except for the Omenica Region as there are none in the consultation phase at this time

Landscape Units (Subdivisions) were developed as a part of the 2002 Northern Caribou Strategy and are used for landscape level planning within Wildlife Habitat Area 5-086. For details please see: [Apps, C. D., T. A. Kinley, and J. A. Young. 2001. Multi-scale habitat modeling for woodland caribou in the Itcha, Ilgachuz, and Rainbow mountains of west-central British Columbia. Wildlife Section, Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada.](http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cariboo/env_stewardship/wildlife/inventory/caribou/northcar/hmi/hsi06-01.pdf)

The wildlife values area and site datasets represent the consolidation of 13 wildlife data classes collected by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The data estimates locations used by wildlife for various reasons, including: * breeding * calving and fawning * denning * feeding * staging * nesting * wintering * general habitat areas * nurseries * travel corridors Locations are represented as points (site) or polygons (area) and may be related to a specific species or described more generally. Wildlife values data is most often used to support policy and legislation associated with the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. The data may also be used to inform a wide range of resource management activities and decisions. There are additional sensitive features related to provincially tracked species and species at risk that are not available as part of the open data package. Sensitive features are subject to licensing and approvals and may be requested by contacting [geospatial@ontario.ca](geospatial@ontario.ca).

Wildlife Key Areas (WKA) are locations used by wildlife for critical, seasonal life functions. WKAs are identified by interpreting observed locations of wildlife at key times of year, not through intensive habitat assessment. Polygons derived from interviews with locals and from GIS interpretation of wildlife/habitat surveys. GIS interpretation follows criteria specific for taxon and/or populations of taxon. Key Areas are based on observed locations of wildlife at key times of year, not on habitat assessment. With new information, boundaries and designations of Key Areas can change and additional Key Areas can be identified. Furthermore, Key Areas are not the only sites important for wildlife. Other information sources can identify other sites important for wildlife for reasons outside the scope of the WKA Inventory Program. Updates to Key Areas occur only periodically. For the most current information, please consult with the Regional Biologist for your area of interest. If you have questions or would like to contribute to the WKA database, please contact the WKA Inventory Program ( [wka@yukon.ca](mailto:wka@yukon.ca) ).Distributed from [GeoYukon](https://mapservices.gov.yk.ca/GeoYukon/) by the [Government of Yukon](https://yukon.ca/) . Discover more digital map data and interactive maps from Yukon's digital map data collection.For more information: [geomatics.help@yukon.ca](mailto:geomatics.help@yukon.ca)

The wildlife values area and site datasets represent the consolidation of 13 wildlife data classes collected by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The data estimates locations used by wildlife for various reasons, including: * breeding * calving and fawning * denning * feeding * staging * nesting * wintering * general habitat areas * nurseries * travel corridors Locations are represented as points (site) or polygons (area) and may be related to a specific species or described more generally. Wildlife values data is most often used to support policy and legislation associated with the Crown Forest Sustainability Act. The data may also be used to inform a wide range of resource management activities and decisions. There are additional sensitive features related to provincially tracked species and species at risk that are not available as part of the open data package. Sensitive features are subject to licensing and approvals and may be requested by contacting [geospatial@ontario.ca](geospatial@ontario.ca).

Wildlife Key Areas (WKA) are locations used by wildlife for critical, seasonal life functions. WKAs are identified by interpreting observed locations of wildlife at key times of year, not through intensive habitat assessment. Polygons derived from interviews with locals and from GIS interpretation of wildlife/habitat surveys. GIS interpretation follows criteria specific for taxon and/or populations of taxon. Key Areas are based on observed locations of wildlife at key times of year, not on habitat assessment. With new information, boundaries and designations of Key Areas can change and additional Key Areas can be identified. Furthermore, Key Areas are not the only sites important for wildlife. Other information sources can identify other sites important for wildlife for reasons outside the scope of the WKA Inventory Program. Updates to Key Areas occur only periodically. For the most current information, please consult with the Regional Biologist for your area of interest. If you have questions or would like to contribute to the WKA database, please contact the WKA Inventory Program ( [wka@yukon.ca](mailto:wka@yukon.ca) ).Distributed from [GeoYukon](https://mapservices.gov.yk.ca/GeoYukon/) by the [Government of Yukon](https://yukon.ca/) . Discover more digital map data and interactive maps from Yukon's digital map data collection.For more information: [geomatics.help@yukon.ca](mailto:geomatics.help@yukon.ca)

Wildlife Key Areas (WKA) are locations used by wildlife for critical, seasonal life functions. WKAs are identified by interpreting observed locations of wildlife at key times of year, not through intensive habitat assessment. Polygons derived from interviews with locals and from GIS interpretation of wildlife/habitat surveys. GIS interpretation follows criteria specific for taxon and/or populations of taxon. Key Areas are based on observed locations of wildlife at key times of year, not on habitat assessment. With new information, boundaries and designations of Key Areas can change and additional Key Areas can be identified. Furthermore, Key Areas are not the only sites important for wildlife. Other information sources can identify other sites important for wildlife for reasons outside the scope of the WKA Inventory Program. Updates to Key Areas occur only periodically. For the most current information, please consult with the Regional Biologist for your area of interest. If you have questions or would like to contribute to the WKA database, please contact the WKA Inventory Program ( [wka@yukon.ca](mailto:wka@yukon.ca) ).Distributed from [GeoYukon](https://mapservices.gov.yk.ca/GeoYukon/) by the [Government of Yukon](https://yukon.ca/) . Discover more digital map data and interactive maps from Yukon's digital map data collection.For more information: [geomatics.help@yukon.ca](mailto:geomatics.help@yukon.ca)

The dataset contains approved legal boundaries for wildlife habitat areas and specified areas for species at risk and regionally important wildlife. Additional information including approved orders associated with WHAs is available [here](http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/cgi-bin/apps/faw/wharesult.cgi?search=show_approved).

The Provincial Sanctuary - Corridor Wildlife dataset is comprised of all the polygons that represent the Provincial Sanctuary - Corridor Wildlife areas in Alberta. Provincial Sanctuary - Corridor Wildlife is area designated for the protection of wildlife within 400 yards corridors of various road centre-lines.

Since they are essential environments for wildlife, eleven categories of habitats benefit from legal protection in Quebec. Together, they protect a great diversity of wildlife species, including fish, crustaceans, molluscs, certain large mammals, such as caribou and deer, as well as numerous species of seabirds and waterfowl.Among the protected habitats, there are also those of endangered or vulnerable wildlife species.### #LOI AND REGULATIONS* Wildlife Conservation and Development Act* Wildlife Habitat Regulation* Regulation on threatened or vulnerable wildlife species and their habitats### #LISTE LEGALLY PROTECTED WILDLIFE HABITATS* Area of concentration of waterbirds* Caribou calving area north of the 52nd parallel* Caribou use area south of the 52nd parallel* White-tailed deer containment area* Cliff inhabited by a bird colony* Island or peninsula inhabited by a bird colony* Habitat of a threatened or vulnerable wildlife species* Heron (including the nest and the 0-200 m and 200-500 m bands that surround it)* Fish habitat* Muskrat habitat* MudflatA shape file exists for all wildlife habitats in the province of Quebec.Wildlife habitats located on mixed and private lands are also found for information purposes.### #SOURCES CARTOGRAPHICWildlife habitats are digitized using as a reference, in particular:* Quebec topographic database (BDTQ);* Domain layer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MRNF);* Administrative divisions of Quebec on a scale of 1/20,000;* Digital imagery.References may vary depending on the case. Other sources can also be used### #MISE DATA UPDATEThe updating of wildlife habitat data follows a variable planning according to the habitat category and according to the inventories carried out and the needs of regional and central departments.### #Mise on guard: The digital version of geo-descriptive data describing wildlife habitats is produced from a legal perspective of location, protection and management of habitats. In fact, only the digital version that has been published in the Official Gazette of Quebec is recognized as legal.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**