Canada - Overview

Status and trends of biodiversity, including benefits from biodiversity and ecosystem services

The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.

Canada supports a remarkable diversity of tundra, forest, grassland, freshwater, and ocean ecosystems. The country encompasses a surface area of 9.98 million km², approximately 6.7% of the Earth’s total, and is bordered by three oceans with 243,000 km of coastline... More »

Main pressures on and drivers of change to biodiversity (direct and indirect)

The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.

Degradation, fragmentation, and shifts in the structure and composition of many ecosystems are taking place owing to a number of pressures. Habitat is declining in quantity and becoming fragmented due to combined pressures from urbanization and industrial activity including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, mining and oil, and gas development... More »

Implementation of the NBSAP

The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.

The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy, developed jointly by federal, provincial and territorial governments and released in 1996, highlights the importance of Canada’s natural assets and sets out a range of strategic directions for the conservation and sustainable use of Canada’s natural capital... More »

Actions taken to achieve the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets

The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.

One of the most significant results achieved regarding the Aichi targets is the additions to Canada’s networks of protected areas, with approximately 9.4% of Canada’s terrestrial area currently protected... More »

Support mechanisms for national implementation (legislation, funding, capacity-building, coordination, mainstreaming, etc.)

The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.

The Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) adopted in 2010 includes a number of biodiversity-related goals and targets and will be updated in 2013... More »

Mechanisms for monitoring and reviewing implementation

The content of this biodiversity profile is still draft. The text below has been prepared by SCBD and remains subject to final approval by the Party concerned.

Across the country, Conservation Data Centres provide biodiversity data for management and planning. Reports on the general status of more than 1600 Canadian wild species are now produced every five years, with the first having been released in 2000... More »