Canada, North America

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The designations employed and the presentation of material on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

Number of Protected areas

8,161

59 with management effectiveness evaluations

Polygons/Points ratio

100% Polygons

0% Points

Number of sources

For International designations 6
For National designations 2
TOTAL 8

Protected areas coverage (Ref 1 ↓ )

Area terrestrial

10.66% coverage

1,060,922 km2 Land Area Protected

9,955,033 km2 Total Land Area

11% 6th National Report Coverage

3.2% with management effectiveness evaluation

318,230.9586 km2 Area Assessed

Area marine

2.91% coverage

165,665 km2 Marine Area Protected

5,698,083 km2 Total Marine Area

8% 6th National Report Coverage

0.14% with management effectiveness evaluation

7,809.517784 km2 Area Assessed

Warning: These statistics might differ from those reported officially by countries due to difference in methodologies and datasets used to assess protected area coverage and differences in the base maps used to measure terrestrial and marine area of a country or territory. Download the country's latest national report (pdf)

Learn how we calculate protected area coverage statistics

IUCN Management categories

Management categories Count %
Ia 515 6.31
Ib 276 3.38
II 1811 22.19
III 550 6.74
IV 4074 49.92
V 142 1.74
VI 511 6.26
Not Reported 97 1.19
Not Applicable 26 0.32
Not Assigned 159 1.95

Governance types

Name Governance type Count %
Federal or national ministry or agency 258 3.16
Not Reported 292 3.58
Collaborative governance 42 0.51
Non-profit organisations 237 2.9
Sub-national ministry or agency 7309 89.56
Indigenous peoples 3 0.04
Individual landowners 20 0.25

National designations

89

Categories Count
Nature Reserve 83
National Park 46
Ecological Reserve 214
National Marine Park 1
Wildlife Refuge 30
Conservation Park 1
Wilderness Park 5
Migratory Bird Sanctuary 92
Protected Area 108
Wildlife Sanctuary 1
Wildlife Reserve 1
Wilderness Area 84
Recreation Park 11
Wildlife Management Area 80
Provincial Park 485
Ecological reserve 72
A - Park 628
B - Park 2
Territorial Park 10
White-tailed deer yard 52
Natural Area 131
National Wildlife Area 80
Recreation Area 2
Wilderness Reserve 2
Conservancy 156
Protected Natural Area 208
National Historic Site 1
Cliff inhabited by a colony of birds 6
Water fowl gathering area 694
Quebec's national park 27
Conservation Reserve 295
C - Park 13
Territorial Park - Community Park 2
Privately Owned Natural Area 67
Provincially Owned Natural Area 72
Provincial Wildlife Management Area 17
Island or peninsula inhabited by a colony of birds 106
Proposed aquatic reserve 10
Wildlife preserve 8
Old-growth forest 144
Game Preserve 22
Park Reserve 1
Wildland Provincial Park 44
Proposed ecological reserve 3
Heronry 75
Muskrat habitat 129
Marine Protected Area 12
Habitat of a threatened or vulnerable wildlife species 30
Recognized nature reserve 226
Habitat of a threatened or vulnerable plant species 31
Proposed biodiversity reserve 85
Biodiversity reserve 5
Special Management Area 4
Habitat Protection Area 9
National Marine Conservation Area 3
Wildlife Park 1
Ecological Reserve / Traditional Use Planning Area 1
Provincial Forest 2
Ecological Reserve / Provincial Park 1
Natural Environment Park 11
Heritage Rangeland 3
Provincial Recreation Area 7
Protected Through Aboriginal Land Claim Agreement - Heritage Resource 1
Protected Through Aboriginal Land Claim Agreement 1
Territorial Park - Historic Park 2
Crown Pasture 63
Valued Natural Habitat 17
Valued Ecosystem 3
Provincial Pasture 51
Historic Park 9
Representative Area Ecological Reserve 34
Recreation Site 111
Wildlife Habitat Protection 1
Saskatchewan Watershed Authority 1
Fish and Wildlife Development Fund Land 1
Traditional Use Planning Area 4
Private Land 184
Protected Area - Far North 3
Private Conservation Lands 1
Aquatic reserve 1
Rare forest ecosystem 62
Marine park 1
Biological refuge 2757
Forest refuge 18
Salt lick 5
Protected Through Aboriginal Land Use Plan - Land Use Exclusion Zone 1
National Urban Park 1
Canadian Landmark 1
First Nation Settlement Land 2

Regional designations

0

Categories Count

International designations

3

Categories Count
UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve 16
World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) 10
Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance 37