Critical Habitat for federally-listed species at risk (posted)

This dataset displays the geographic areas within which critical habitat for species at risk listed on Schedule 1 of the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) occurs in British Columbia. However, not all of the area within these boundaries is necessarily critical habitat. 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 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). 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.

This dataset includes both “final” critical habitat, and “proposed” critical habitat within British Columbia, as it is depicted in the recovery documents. “Proposed” critical habitat depicted in proposed recovery documents has not been formally identified and is subject to change before it is posted as final. Despite the use of the term “final”, it is important to note that recovery documents (and therefore critical habitat) may be amended from time to time. Species are added as the data becomes ready, which may occur after the recovery document has been posted on the SAR Public Registry. You should always consider the SAR Public Registry as the main source for critical habitat information. 

In most cases the geospatial information provided includes detailed geospatial polygons containing critical habitat, as well as overlaying “grid squares”.  These are coarse (1, 10, 50 or 100 km2) squares based on a UTM grid that serve as a flag to reference the general areas in which the detailed critical habitat polygons occur. In some cases where a species has been deemed “data-sensitive”, such as species included in the Province of British Columbia’s List of Species and Ecosystems Susceptible to Persecution or Harm: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=24C3179F7D764A8F906DB352B98253D2, detailed polygons are not provided, but may be made available on request.

This file includes data from the Pacific regional branch of the Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment and Climate Change Canada). It does not include critical habitat identified in other regions within Environment and Climate Change Canada (with the exception of critical habitat information for Whitebark Pine which spans BC and Alberta).

Critical habitat is defined in the federal Species at Risk Act (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 action plan for the species". Critical habitat identification alone is not an automatic “protection” designation. Federal or non-federal laws or bylaws may be in place to provide protection. Note that the Province of B.C. considers recovery planning documents, including the identification of critical habitat by the federal government, as science advice only.

This data is publicly available from the Government of Canada at: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/47caa405-be2b-4e9e-8f53-c478ade2ca74

NOTE: This dataset represents only the Critical Habitat identified by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Parks Canada. To access Critical Habitat mapping for aquatic species at risk, managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, view the Aquatic species at risk map https://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/sara-lep/map-carte/index-eng.html, or download/connect via the Open Maps web service https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/db177a8c-5d7d-49eb-8290-31e6a45d786c.


Tags: Federal, critical habitat, endangered, species at risk, threatened
Organization: Environment Canada