Map 1
Linear feature density by ecoregion, 2011

Map description

The title of the map is "Linear feature density by ecoregion, 2011"

This map shows the density of infrastructure such as roads, rail lines, electrical transmission lines and cutlines for the 194 ecoregions of Canada.

On this map, a darker colour indicates a higher density of linear features. Category 1 (brown) is greater than or equal to 1200 m/km², category 2 (dark orange) is 750 to less than 1200 m/km², category 3 (orange) is 500 to less than 750 m/km², category 4 (light orange) is 250 to less than 500 m/km² and category 5 (cream) is less than 250 m/km².

A solid black line defines provincial boundaries while grey lines define ecoregion boundaries. Water is pale blue.

Ecoregions with the highest linear feature density include the Lower Mainland in the Pacific Maritime ecozone in British Columbia, as well as the Lake Erie Lowland and St-Laurent Lowlands in the Mixedwood Plains ecozone in southern Ontario and Quebec. Other ecozones where select ecoregions had a higher linear feature density include the Montane Cordillera, Prairies, Boreal Plains, Atlantic Maritime and Taiga Plains. In general, linear feature density was lower in Canada's more northerly ecoregions.

Linear feature density (m/km²) by ecoregion:

Arctic Cordillera: Ellesmere and Devon Islands Ice Caps 0.0, Baffin Mountains 0.3, Baffin Island Coastal Lowlands 2.4, Torngat Mountains 0.0.

Northern Arctic: Sverdrup Islands Lowland 0.0, Ellesmere Mountains 0.0, Eureka Hills 0.2, Parry Islands Plateau 0.7, Banks Island Coastal Plain 0.9, Banks Island Lowland 0.2, Amundsen Gulf Lowlands 0.8, Shaler Mountains 0.0, Victoria Islands Lowland 0.1, Prince of Wales Island Lowland 0.0, Lancaster Plateau 0.1, Borden Peninsula Plateau 2.6, Boothia Peninsula Plateau 0.4, Melville Peninsula Plateau 0.1, Pangnirtung Upland 0.5, Meta Incognita Peninsula 0.9, Wager Bay Plateau 0.2, Northern Ungava Peninsula 1.3, Baffin Island Uplands 0.0, Hall Peninsula Upland 0.0, Baffin Upland 0.0, Gulf of Boothia Plain 0.3, Foxe Basin Plain 1.5.

Southern Arctic: Yukon Coastal Plain 0.0, Tuktoyaktuk Coastal Plain 4.3, Anderson River Plain 2.3, Dease Arm Plain, 29.5, Coronation Hills 0.3, Bluenose Lake Plain 1.2, Bathurst Hills 0.0, Takijuq Lake Upland 0.1, Queen Maud Gulf Lowland 0.0, Chantrey Inlet Lowland 0.0, Garry Lake Lowland 0.1, Back River Plain 0.0, Dubwant Lake Plain/Upland 0.0, Maguse River Upland 1.1, Southampton Island Plain 1.2, Central Ungava Peninsula 0.9, Ottawa Islands 0.0, Belcher Islands 2.8.

Taiga Plains: Peel River Plateau 102.2, Nahanni Plateau 0.0, Sibbeston Lake Plain 53.6, Mackenzie Delta 7.0, Great Bear Lake Plain 42.0, Fort McPherson Plain 294.3, Colville Hills 75.8, Norman Range 116.7, Mackenzie River Plain 146.0, Grandin Plains 0.0, Franklin Mountains 60.0, Keller Lake Plain 9.6, Great Slave Lake Plain 46.5, Horn Plateau 232.8, Hay River Lowland 631.0, Northern Alberta Uplands 778.8, Muskwa Plateau 622.4.

Taiga Shield: Coppermine River Upland 1.0, Tazin Lake Upland 8.7, Kazan River Upland 0.1, Selwyn Lake Upland 0.4, La Grande Hills 15.7, Southern Ungava Peninsula 0.3, New Quebec Central Plateau 2.0, Kingurutik–Fraser Rivers 0.2, Smallwood Reservoir–Michikamau 17.8, Coastal Barrens 8.4, Mecatina River 11.0, Eagle Plateau 6.1, Winokapau Lake North 20.1, Goose River West 21.8, Ungava Bay Basin 1.9, George Plateau 1.2.

Boreal Shield: Athabasca Plain 5.1, Churchill River Upland 26.3, Hayes River Upland 32.8, Big Trout Lake 20.3, Lac Seul Upland 40.0, Lake Nipigon 126.4, Abitibi Plains 163.7, Rupert River Plateau 35.9, Central Laurentians 70.5, Anticosti Island 100.9, Mecatina Plateau 14.3, Paradise River 19.6, Lake Melville 47.1, Strait of Belle Isle 239.2, Northern Peninsula 239.2, Long Range Mountains 40.3, Southwestern Newfoundland 479.5, Central Newfoundland 341.9, Northeastern Newfoundland 374.3, Maritime Barrens 255.3, Avalon Forest 598.0, South Avalon–Burin Oceanic Barrens 267.0, Lake of the Woods 276.8, Rainy River 599.0, Thunder Bay–Quetico 256.3, Lake Timiskaming Lowland 225.1, Algonquin–Lake Nipissing 669.7, Southern Laurentians 241.1.

Atlantic Maritime: Appalachians 627.4, Northern New Brunswick Uplands 393.7, New Brunswick Highlands 66.9, Maritime Lowlands 714.8, Prince Edward Island 1,294.2, Îles-de-la-Madeleine 1,463.9, Saint John River Valley 1,072.0, Southern New Brunswick Uplands 689.9, Fundy Coast 1,005.9, Southwest Nova Scotia Uplands 550.7, Atlantic Coast 856.7, Annapolis–Minas Lowlands 1,207.9, South-Central Nova Scotia Uplands 817.0, Nova Scotia Highlands 879.0, Cape Breton Highlands 118.1.

Mixedwood Plains: St-Laurent Lowlands 2,039.4; Frontenac Axis 1,248.4, Manitoulin–Lake Simcoe 1,442.0, Lake Erie Lowland 2,714.4.

Boreal Plains: Clear Hills Upland 935.4, Western Alberta Upland 1,239.1, Slave River Lowland 91.0, Peace Lowland 832.7, Mid-Boreal Uplands 351.6, Wabasca Lowland 728.3, Western Boreal 1,085.5, Boreal Transition 814.0, Mid-Boreal Lowland 76.6, Interlake Plain 451.5.

Prairies: Lake Manitoba Plain 1,092.6, Aspen Parkland 980.5, Southwest Manitoba Uplands 848.4, Moist Mixed Grassland 906.5, Fescue Grassland 1,128.5, Mixed Grassland 691.4, Cypress Upland 449.0.

Taiga Cordillera: British–Richardson Mountains 4.1, Old Crow Basin 16.6, Old Crow Flats 10.7, North Ogilvie Mountains 17.4, Eagle Plains 246.4, Mackenzie Mountains 2.8, Selwynn Mountains 6.4.

Boreal Cordillera: St. Elias Mountains 2.9, Ruby Ranges 38.6, Yukon Plateau-Central 36.5, Yukon Plateau-North 37.6, Yukon Southern Lakes 73.6, Pelly Mountains 13.6, Liard Basin 35.2, Hyland Highland 12.8, Yukon–Stikine Highlands 15.1, Boreal Mountains and Plateaus 12.2, Northern Canadian Rocky Mountains 18.2, Klondike Plateau 43.4.

Pacific Maritime: Eastern Vancouver Island 1,048.4, Georgia–Puget Basin 1,162.5, Lower Mainland 3,240.4, Nass Basin 127.7, Queen Charlotte Ranges 86.4, Queen Charlotte Lowland 98.5, Nass Ranges 137.2, Coastal Gap 30.8, Pacific Ranges 84.4, Western Vancouver Island 164.8, Cascade Ranges 727.0, Mount Logan 0.0, Northern Coastal Mountains 9.3.

Montane Cordillera: Skeena Mountains 13.4, Omineca Mountains 31.7, Central Canadian Rocky Mountains 97.0, Fraser Basin 231.6, Bulkley Ranges 59.5, Fraser Plateau 206.8, Chilcotin Ranges 33.9, Interior Transition Ranges 228.1, Thompson–Okanagan Plateau 659.9, Okanagan Range 213.8, Okanagan Highland 1,313.9, Columbia Mountains and Highlands 184.9, Western Continental Ranges 78.2, Eastern Continental Ranges 145.1, Selkirk–Bitterroot Foothills 325.1, Southern Rocky Mountain Trench 842.7, Northern Continental Divide 431.8.

Hudson Plains: Coastal Hudson Bay Lowland 12.6, Hudson Bay Lowland 5.1, James Bay Lowland 10.2.

Notes: Linear feature density refers to the density of roads, rail lines, electrical transmission lines and cutlines (e.g., from seismic lines and firebreaks), measured in metres of linear features per square kilometre. Other infrastructure such as pipelines are not included. Data are aggregated into 194 ecoregions of Canada (Ecological Land Classification 2017).

Sources: Statistics Canada, Environment, Energy and Transportation Statistics Division, 2018, special tabulation of Natural Resources Canada, 2012, CanVec, Earth Science Sector, Mapping Information Branch, Centre for Topographic Information, http://geogratis.gc.ca (accessed October 9, 2017); Statistics Canada, 2013, "Measuring ecosystem goods and services in Canada," Human Activity and the Environment, Catalogue no. 16-201-X.