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 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.

This national dataset contains geographic range data for 488 Species at risk based on NatureServe data, SAR recovery strategies, Environment Canada resources and COSEWIC status reports.

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 map, created in 2002 using ArcGIS, describes the number of animal and plant species that are at risk in Alberta. 'Species at risk' is a term used by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) that includes the following categories of plants and animals:Extirpated species - no longer in the wild in Canada.Endangered species - species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.Threatened species - likely to become an endangered species if nothing is done to reverse factors leading to its extirpation or extinction.Species of special concern - species that may become threatened or endangered due to biological characteristics or identified threats.

As part of the Pan-Canadian approach to transforming Species at Risk conservation in Canada, a total of 11 Priority Places were affirmed by federal, provincial, and territorial governments in December 2018. One additional priority place was affirmed in 2024. The places selected have significant biodiversity, concentrations of species at risk, and opportunities to advance conservation efforts. In each Priority Place, the federal and provincial or territorial governments are working with Indigenous Peoples, partners, and stakeholders to develop conservation action implementation plans. Using a defined planning approach (such as the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation), these implementation plans identify key actions to address the greatest threats to species. Conservation implementation plans provide the foundation for collaborative action on the ground.The federal government, in collaboration with the provinces and territories, has agreed to the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada. This new approach shifts from a single-species approach to conservation to one that focuses on multiple species and ecosystems. This enables conservation partners to work together to achieve better outcomes for Species at Risk. These 12 Priority Places are complemented by a suite of Community-Nominated Priority Places (CNPP), identified through an open call for applications.To learn more about the Priority Places initiative and the work undertaken by our partners to recover Species at Risk within these Priority Places, please visit our interactive website https://environmental-maps.canada.ca/CWS_Storylines/index-ca-en.html#/en/priority_places-lieux_prioritaires

This dataset displays the Canadian geographic ranges of the priority species identified under the Pan-Canadian Approach for Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada (“Pan-Canadian Approach”). These species include Barren-ground Caribou (including the Dolphin and Union population); Greater Sage-Grouse; Peary Caribou; Wood Bison; Caribou, Boreal population (“Boreal Caribou”); and Woodland Caribou, Southern Mountain population (“Southern Mountain Caribou”). The priority species were chosen following a number of criteria and considerations in collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial partners. These include, but were not limited to, the species' ecological role on a regional or national scale, their conservation status and achievability of conservation outcomes, their social and cultural value (particularly to Indigenous peoples), and the leadership/partnership opportunities that they present. Delivering conservation outcomes for targeted priority species can have significant co-benefits for other species at risk, and wildlife in general. For more information on the Pan-Canadian Approach and the priority species, see https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/wildlife-plants-species/species-risk/pan-canadian-approach.html.This dataset includes: 1) the range for the Boreal Caribou (see https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/consultations/2253); 2) the local populations for the Southern Mountain Caribou (see https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/consultations/1309); 3) the range for the Greater Sage-Grouse (see https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/consultations/1458); 4) local populations for the Peary Caribou (see https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/consultations/3657); 5) range for the Barren-ground Caribou (see https://www.maps.geomatics.gov.nt.ca/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=NWT_SHV English only); 6) range for the Barren-ground Caribou, Dolphin and Union population (https://www.maps.geomatics.gov.nt.ca/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=NWT_SHV English only); 7) range for the Wood Bison (see https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/consultations/2914).

Significant climate change impacts are highly likely in all Canadian marine and freshwater basins, with effects increasing over time (DFO 2012). Climate models project that ecosystems and fisheries across Canada will be disrupted into the foreseeable future (Lotze et al. 2019; Bryndum-Buchholz et al. 2020; Tittensor et al. 2021; Boyce et al. 2024). Despite its imminence, climate change is infrequently factored into Canada’s primary marine conservation strategies, such as spatial planning (O’Regan et al. 2021) or fisheries management (Boyce et al. 2021; Pepin et al. 2022). The Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity (CRIB) was developed to assess climate risk for marine species in a quantitative, spatially explicit, and scalable manner, supporting climate-informed decision-making. It has been used to evaluate climate risks for marine life globally (Boyce et al. 2022), regionally (Lewis et al. 2023; Boyce et al. 2024; Keen et al. 2023), for fisheries (Boyce et al. 2024), and in support of spatial conservation planning (Keen et al. 2023). This dataset contains climate vulnerability and risk estimates from the CRIB framework adapted to consider warming at both the sea surface and its bottom for 145 marine species of conservation or fisheries interest across Canada’s marine territory. Climate risk is available at a 0.25-degree resolution under two contrasting emission scenarios to 2100. For each species, location, and scenario, 12 climate indexes, three vulnerability dimensions, and an overall vulnerability and risk score are provided. The accompanying report describes the data, methods, and workflow used to calculate risk. This report also guides the interpretation of these data to inform and support climate-informed decision-making in Canada.

NWT Species at Risk Data