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

8,254

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

11.0% coverage

1,095,323 km2 Land Area Protected

9,955,033 km2 Total Land Area

11% 6th National Report Coverage

3.2% with management effectiveness evaluation

318,230.0765 km2 Area Assessed

Area marine

3.13% coverage

178,077 km2 Marine Area Protected

5,698,083 km2 Total Marine Area

8% 6th National Report Coverage

0.14% with management effectiveness evaluation

7,810.065123 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 516 6.25
Ib 285 3.45
II 1813 21.97
III 549 6.65
IV 4134 50.08
V 135 1.64
VI 427 5.17
Not Reported 210 2.54
Not Applicable 26 0.31
Not Assigned 159 1.93

Governance types

Name Governance type Count %
Federal or national ministry or agency 220 2.67
Not Reported 293 3.55
Collaborative governance 56 0.68
Non-profit organisations 365 4.42
Sub-national ministry or agency 7301 88.45
Indigenous peoples 3 0.04
Individual landowners 16 0.19

National designations

99

Categories Count
Nature Reserve 82
National Park 46
Marine Park 1
Ecological Reserve 214
National Marine Park 1
Wildlife Refuge 30
Conservation Park 1
Wilderness Park 5
Migratory Bird Sanctuary 76
Protected Area 108
Wildlife Sanctuary 1
Wildlife Reserve 1
Wilderness Area 86
Conservation Easement 8
Recreation Park 11
Wildlife Management Area 83
Provincial Park 476
Ecological reserve 72
Natural Environment Park 11
A - Park 628
Territorial Park 11
White-tailed deer yard 52
Natural Area 131
National Wildlife Area 56
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
C - Park 13
B - Park 1
Territorial Park - Community Park 2
Conservation Reserve 295
Privately Owned Natural Area (INT) 33
Provincially Owned Natural Area 72
Provincial Wildlife Management Area 20
Privately Owned Natural Area (NCC PEI INC) 8
Island or peninsula inhabited by a colony of birds 106
Proposed aquatic reserve 10
Privately Owned Natural Area 17
Wildlife preserve 8
Old-growth forest 144
Game Preserve 22
Park Reserve 1
Wildland Provincial Park 41
Proposed ecological reserve 3
Heronry 75
Muskrat habitat 129
Marine Protected Area 13
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 1
Habitat Protection Area 9
National Marine Conservation Area 3
Wildlife Park 1
Privately Owned Natural Area (INT & OTHERS) 1
Ecological Reserve / Traditional Use Planning Area 1
Provincial Forest 2
Ecological Reserve / Provincial Park 1
Heritage Rangeland 3
Provincial Recreation Area 6
Protected Through Indigenous Land Claim Agreement - Heritage Resource 1
Protected Through Indigenous Land Claim Agreement 1
Territorial Park - Historic Park 2
Crown Pasture 62
Valued Natural Habitat 17
Valued Ecosystem 3
Provincial Pasture 51
Historic Park 9
Representative Area Ecological Reserve 40
Recreation Site 106
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 4
Privately Owned Natural Area (PEIWF) 5
Private Conservation Lands 1
Aquatic reserve 1
Rare forest ecosystem 62
Marine park 1
Biological refuge 2757
Forest refuge 18
Salt lick 5
Land Use Exclusion Zone in Indigenous land use plan 1
National Urban Park 1
Canadian Landmark 1
First Nation Settlement Land 2
Fee-Simple Ownership by Environmental Non-Governmental Conservation Organization 129
Provincially Significant Life Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest 3
Special Protection Natural Environment Park 1
Marine National Wildlife Area 1

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