Post-disturbance forest recovery data for Canada's forested ecosystems, representing a total area of ~650 million ha, captures the return of forests following wildfire and harvest that occurred between 1986 and 2012. It is developed within the framework of Canada’s National Terrestrial Ecosystem Monitoring System (NTEMS). These spatially-explicit outputs represent the rate of spectral recovery: the rate at which a pixel returns to 80% of its pre-disturbance value (White et al. 2017) within the observation period (1985-2017) using the Y2R or Years-to-Recovery metric derived from Landsat times series data. Baseline rates of spectral recovery (Y2R) were defined for each of Canada's 12 forested ecozones. These baselines were then used to identify spatial clusters of recovering pixels on the landscape where Y2R were either significantly faster or slower than their ecozonal baseline. Finally, areas that were disturbed by wildfire and harvest (1986-2012), but which had not recovered by the end of the observation period (2017) are also provided. Note that these areas are still recovering, but they had not yet recovered according to our metric of spectral recovery, by the end of the time series in 2017. For an overview of the methods, the validation of the Y2R metric, and interpretation of the derived trends, see White et al. (2022) and White et al. (2017).White, J.C., Hermosilla, T., Wulder, M.A., Coops, N.C., 2022. Mapping, validating, and interpreting spatio-temporal trends in post-disturbance forest recovery. Remote Sensing of Environment, 271, 112904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.112904 ( White et al. 2022)White, J.C., Wulder, M.A., Hermosilla, T., Coops, N.C., Hobart, G.W. 2017. A nationwide annual characterization of 25 years of forest disturbance and recovery for Canada using Landsat time series. Remote Sensing of Environment, 194, pp. 303-321. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2017.03.035 .( White et al. 2017)

The Species at Risk (SAR) Program is responsible for carrying out DFO’s mandate under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) to protect, recover and conserve all listed aquatic SAR in Canada. As part of this mandate, this spatial database has been developed to identify areas in which aquatic species listed under SARA may be found.Distribution and range information are identified for species listed as Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern under SARA.Distribution (range) polygons and lines were assembled by regional SARA biologists using the best available information, including COSEWIC status reports, recovery potential assessments, academic literature, and expert opinion. These spatial data support the protection, recovery and conservation of species listed as Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern under SARA. Species distributions are also described and displayed in Recovery Strategies, Action Plans and/or Management Plans. Discrepancies may exist between the distribution data shown in a species’ SARA recovery document and the current spatial data. Please contact DFO for more information on any data discrepancies.

This dataset displays the geographic areas within which critical habitat (CH) for terrestrial species at risk, listed on Schedule 1 of the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), occurs in Canada. Note that this includes only terrestrial species and species for which Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Parks Canada Agency (PCA) lead.Under SARA, critical habitat is “the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as the species’ critical habitat in the recovery strategy or action plan for the species.”To precisely define what constitutes critical habitat for a particular species it is essential that this geospatial information be considered in conjunction with complementary information provided in a species’ recovery document. Recovery documents are available from the Species at Risk (SAR) Public Registry (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry.html) for two posting stages (proposed and final posting). The recovery documents contain important information about the interpretation of the geospatial information, especially regarding the biological and environmental features (“biophysical attributes”) that complete the definition of a species’ critical habitat. Within any defined critical habitat geospatial boundary, not all of the area is necessarily critical habitat.It is important to note that recovery planning documents (and, therefore, critical habitat) may be amended from time to time as new information becomes available, which may occur after a document has been posted as proposed or final on the SAR Public Registry. The SAR Public Registry should always be considered as the main source for critical habitat information. In cases where the data are sensitive, the geographic area within which critical habitat occurs may be represented as grids. These are coarse grids (1, 10, 50 or 100 square kilometres) that serve as indicators to locate critical habitat in the recovery planning document.More detailed information on critical habitat may be made available on a need-to-know basis by contacting Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service at ec.planificationduretablissement-recoveryplanning.ec@canada.ca.The data is current as of the date of the most recent revision.

The Species at Risk (SAR) Program is responsible for carrying out DFO’s mandate under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) to protect, recover and conserve all listed aquatic SAR in Canada. Critical habitat is identified for species listed as Endangered or Threatened under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).This mapping tool is for general guidance only. “Mapped” representations of waterbodies and watercourses are based on authoritative provincial geospatial products, guidance and standards. Due to the nature of dynamic systems and the resolution/accuracy of these data sets, areas within which critical habitat is found as displayed on the mapping tool may not align exactly with natural watercourses. If discrepancies occur, refer to the relevant species recovery strategy and/or action plan for additional information on critical habitat. If additional guidance is required, please contact the Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program: https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/pnw-ppe/contact-eng.htmlCritical habitat is defined under section 2 of SARA as: "the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as the species' critical habitat in the recovery strategy or in an action plan for the species". Section 49(1)(a) of SARA requires that a species' Recovery Strategy/Action Plan include an identification of the species' critical habitat to the extent possible, based on the best available information, including information provided by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). SARA makes it illegal to destroy any part of the critical habitat of SAR and may impose restrictions on development and construction. Critical habitats were assembled by SARA regional biologists and recovery teams. They are designed to support the protection and recovery of species listed as Endangered or Threatened under the Species at Risk Act. They are also described and displayed in species' Recovery Documents and Action Plans.

The Brier Island/Digby Neck area has been identified as an Ecologically and Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and is one of four marine areas within the Bay of Fundy recognised by Parks Canada as of national significance for marine conservation planning. The area is representative of important outer Bay of Fundy features with significant marine mammal, bird, and benthic diversity including potentially important aggregations of sensitive benthic species such as horse mussel and sponge. Much of the information used for this recognition is now over 40 years old and should be re-validated using standardised georeferenced survey methods. As a first phase, a diver-based survey of the sublittoral habitats and associated species was conducted in August and September of 2017 for the Brier Island area. This report summarises the major sublittoral habitat types, species assemblages, and oceanographic conditions observed at 20 locations including Northwest and Southwest Ledges, Gull Rock, Peter’s Island, and Grand Passage. A total of 962 records were made of 178 taxa, consisting of 43 algae and 135 animals. Comparison with historical records largely confirmed the continued presence of unique habitats and species assemblages for which this area was initially recognised as an EBSA. Differences in species richness observed for cryptic and less known taxonomic groups such as sponges and bryozoans were attributable to changes in survey methods and knowledge. Based on these findings, additional surveys of inshore and offshore Brier Island using more quantitative methods developed for other Bay of Fundy EBSAs would further support regional MPA network planning and provide relative scales of species diversity and habitat coverage for this area.

The Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR) is a contribution program that focuses on providing funding for recovery and threat mitigation activities in nine priority places and to address two marine threats to aquatic species at risk. The Priority Places and Marine Threats layer supports CNFASAR by delineating the location of the places and threats.The Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk (CNFASAR) supports applicants in the design and delivery of stewardship projects. These projects support the recovery and protection of aquatic species at risk. DFO has identified 2 priority marine threats and 9 priority places as the focus for projects funded by CNFASAR, these areas are included in this dataset.

This dataset contains observations of species occurrences from seafloor imagery collected by the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) during the 2012 Expedition to Cobb Seamount. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration-operated SeaBED-class AUV which collected photographic images from 4 transects ranging from 436 m to 1154 m in depth.

This dataset contains observations of species occurrences from seafloor imagery collected by the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) during the 2012 Expedition to Cobb Seamount. The ROV operated by Fisheries and Oceans Canada was a customized Deep Ocean Engineering Phantom HD2+2 which collected photographic images from 12 transects ranging from 35 m to 211 m in depth.

Monitoring data from DFO invasive species monitoring programs, along with occurrence information from online databases and the scientific literature, have been paired with high resolution environmental data and oceanographic models in species distribution models that predict present-day and project future distributions of 24 non-indigenous species (NIS) on North America`s east coast, and 31 NIS on its west coast. Future distributions were predicted for 2100, under Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s fifth Assessment Report. Present-day and future richness of these species (i.e., hotspots) have been estimated by summing the occurrence probabilities of NIS. This data set includes the present-day and year 2100 species distribution modeling results for each species, and the estimated species richness.Cite this data as: Lyons DA., Lowen JB, Therriault TW., Brickman D., Guo L., Moore AM., Peña MA., Wang Z., DiBacco C. Data of: Updated species distribution models for marine invasive species hotspot identification. Published: November 2023. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, N.S. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/1439dcb3-82a6-40fd-a9a4-8f045b20ff5b

Land cover classification image for the Aspen Parkland ecoregion of Saskatchewan with a spatial resolution of 10m. The goal of this land cover classification was to distinguish native from tame grasslands. The classification was based on Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 imagery using machine learning analysis in the Google Earth Engine platform. The classification was conducted on imagery acquired in 2022, and the classification model was built with field data collected in 2020 - 2022. There are eight classes in total: native grassland, tame grassland, mixed/altered grassland, cropland, shrubs, trees, water, and urban area.Download: here The Prairie Landscape Inventory (PLI) aims to develop improved methods of assessing land cover and land use for conservation. Native grassland has historically been one of the hardest to map at-risk ecosystems because of the challenges in distinguishing native grassland from tame grassland land cover using remotely sensed imagery. This classification distinguishes native grassland from tame grassland and will provide valuable information for habitat suitability for native grassland species, identifying high biodiversity potential and invasion risk potential. The classification map has eight (8) classes:  1. Cropland This class represents all cultivated areas with crop commodities, including corn, pulse, soybeans, canola, grains, and summer-fallow. 2. Native grassland This class represents the native grassland areas that are composed of at least 75% native grass, sedge and forb species, such as the needle grasses and wheatgrasses along with June grass and blue grama grass. Unbroken grassland that is invaded by species like Kentucky bluegrass, crested wheatgrass or smooth brome, such that native cover is less than 75%, is not considered native for the purpose of this project.  3. Mixed/altered grassland This class represents a grassland with a mix of less than 75% native grass, sedge and forb species or less than 75% tame species. These are grassland areas that do not fit into either of the native or tame grassland definitions.  4. Tame grassland This class represents the tame grassland areas that are composed of at least 75% seeded or planted species with introduced grasses and forb species such as crested wheatgrass, smooth brome, Kentucky bluegrass, alfalfa, and sweet clover. 5. Water This class represents permanent water locations such as lakes and rivers. 6. Shrubs This class represents the sites dominated by woody vegetation of relatively low height (generally +/-2 meters) with shrub canopy typically >20% of total vegetation cover. 7. Trees This class represents the coniferous/deciduous trees, mixed-wood area, and other trees >2 meters height with tree canopy typically >20% of total vegetation cover. 9. Urban area This class represents both urban municipalities and buffered roads. Urban municipalities was used to mask the urban/developed area class of the Annual Crop Inventory 2021 (Agriculture Agri-Food Canada).   Colour Classes: Value Label Red Green Blue 1 Cropland 255 255 190 2 Native grassland 168 168 0 3 Mixed/altered grassland 199 215 158 4 Tame grassland 245 202 122 5 Water 190 232 255 6 Shrubs 205 102 153 7 Trees 66 128 53 9 Urban area 128 128 128 Accuracy metrics This model has an overall accuracy of 73 per cent. The table below summarizes the user’s accuracy, producer’s accuracy, and F1-score of the model on the validation dataset. Class User’s accuracy (%) Producer’s accuracy (%) F1-score Cropland 91.2 94.5 0.93 Native grassland 74.8 73.1 0.74 Mixed grassland 44.7 44.1 0.44 Tame grassland 67.9 72.8 0.70 Water 94.8 91.3 0.93 Shrubs 61.2 51.1 0.56 Trees 89.7 94.6 0.92