Environmental Thematic Maps and Graphics:
Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent

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Map: Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent

Description for Map

The title of this map is “Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent.” This map provides a visual representation of the varying terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in Canada.

On the page, there is one large map of Canada, a legend to the upper right and a scale bar below. The map delineates ecoprovinces with a thin black boundary line and ecoprovinces are labeled with a code. Fine black dashed lines show provincial and territorial boundaries. Below the map, ecoprovince codes and their corresponding names are listed for reference.

The map shows ecosystem types represented by different colours, as outlined in the legend. The legend contains nine categories: forest (dark green), cropland (marigold), grassland (bright green), Arctic tundra (light grey), other (olive green), water (blue), permanent snow and ice (white), peatland (purple diagonal hatching) and built-up and artificial surfaces (red).

The map shows that a large swath of Canada, from the east to the west coast, is dominated by forest, while northern Canada is dominated by Arctic tundra. The Prairies, including southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have large areas of cropland and grassland. Pockets of permanent snow and ice are evident in the Arctic Archipelago and the southern Yukon, while large areas of peatland are present south of the Hudson Bay. Large urban centres, including Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver, are visible on the map.

Notes: Ecosystem data here represent the latest comprehensive and comparable estimates for the country for the time period the data were developed. Data for built-up and artificial surfaces are from 2010. Peatlands are shown on the map where more than 50% of the soil landscape polygon is classified as peatland.

Sources:
Beaudoin, A., et al., 2017, Species composition, forest properties and land cover types across Canada's forests at 250 m resolution for 2001 and 2011, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, https://doi.org/10.23687/ec9e2659-1c29-4ddb-87a2-6aced147a990 (accessed March 31, 2019);
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), 2020, Annual Crop Inventory, 2014-2016, https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ba2645d5-4458-414d-b196-6303ac06c1c9 (accessed December 3, 2020);
NRCan, Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation, 2020, 2010 and 2015 Land Cover of North America at 30 metres, Ed. 2.0, Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), North American Land Change Monitoring System, http://www.cec.org/north-american-land-change-monitoring-system/ (accessed December 9, 2020);
Baldwin, K., et al., 2018, Vegetation Zones of Canada: a Biogeoclimatic Perspective [Map], Scale 1:5,000,000, NRCan, CFS, https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/22b0166b-9db3-46b7-9baf-6584a3acc7b1 (accessed October 26, 2020);
Tarnocai, C., I.M. Kettles, B. Lacelle, 2011, Peatlands of Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/starweb/geoscan/servlet.starweb?path=geoscan/fulle.web&search1=R=288786 (accessed March 16, 2020);
AAFC, 2015, Land Use, 1990, 2000 & 2010, https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/18e3ef1a-497c-40c6-8326-aac1a34a0dec (accessed June 1, 2020).


Legend
Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent
Table summary
This table displays the results of Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent. The information is grouped by Colour (appearing as row headers), Ecosystem type (appearing as column headers).
Colour Ecosystem type
Dark green Forest
Marigold Cropland
Bright green Grassland
Light grey Arctic tundra
Olive green Other
Blue Water
White Permanent snow and ice
Purple diagonal hatching Peatland
Red Built-up and artificial surfaces
Shape Boundary
Dashed line Province/territory
Black outline Ecoprovince

Data
Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent, by type
Table summary
This table displays the results of Terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem extent km (appearing as column headers).
km2
Forest 3,635,411
Cropland 437,945
Grassland 403,745
Arctic tundra 2,468,836
Other 2,662,799
Water 1,235,093
Permanant snow and ice 210,305
Peatland 1,135,608
Built-up 60,706
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