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 Ecological Land Mass (ELM) classification was established through the 2020 National Interest Land Mass (NILM) Update. ELM lands describe ecological corridors that have inherent natural values and that protect Species at Risk (SAR) and their habitats. The classification identifies lands to protect in perpetuity through planning and partnership efforts. ELM was derived from two separate analyses - the Ontario side from the AECOM natural linkages analysis (2012) and the Quebec side from Del Degan, Masse (DDM) ecological corridors analysis (2012). Adjustments were made as appropriate.

The VLI identifies and delineates areas of visual sensitivity near communities and along travel corridors throughout the province. It includes information about the visual condition, characteristics and sensitivity to alteration. It also houses scenic area and established Visual Quality Objective ( VQO ) attributes.

Caribou Movement Corridors within the Clearwater Forest District - Lines

Mapping of woods and forest corridors of interest in the urban planning code (CDU) on the territory of Laval.**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Biodiversity Corridors in the Kamloops Forest District showing dispersal routes of wildlife. This data is a legacy dataset, circa 1998, from the Ministry of Forests Forest Development Plan (FDP) datasets. Additional details are unknown. For historical reference.

In the context of the fight against COVID-19, the agglomeration of Montreal quickly redesigned public space to promote active and safe travel. The objective: to allow people to move around actively while respecting the physical distance instructions prescribed by the Public Health Department. This data set locates the ESTABLISHED health corridors as well as the PLANNED active and safe routes as reported by the boroughs and linked cities of the Agglomeration. The active and safe routes are presented as announced during the announcement on May 15, 2020.*Note: * This data is an image of corridors established and planned __as of May 21, 2020__, some changes made on the ground are not reflected in this set. For any additional information on the COVID-19 crisis, please consult the [dedicated section on the City of Montreal's website] (https://montreal.ca/articles/covid-19-etat-des-lieux-et-des-services-municipaux-5013).**This third party metadata element was translated using an automated translation tool (Amazon Translate).**

Applications for spatial areas occurring on Crown land in which oil and gas activities will take place. Construction corridors allow for flexibility in the movement, placement and construction of oil and gas activity. This dataset is updated nightly.

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.

Ecological Reserves are part of a network of Designated Areas. The goal of the network is to create and maintain a comprehensive, dynamic and accessible data set (digital map) that accurately defines land areas in Saskatchewan that have various levelUnique ecological reserves that are designed to protect representative areas of natural landscapes and to conserve biological diversity.