North America Marine Protected Areas Network

Overview This map layer prepared by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) presents the cumulative impact of human activities on marine ecosystems across North America based on Halpern et al. 2008. A global map of human impact on marine ecosystems. Science 319 (5865): 948–952. To generate this map, a research team collected or created global maps of 17 different human activities, such as fishing and pollution, that have an impact on marine ecosystems, as well as maps of different marine ecosystems. The team quantified the vulnerability of each marine ecosystem to the different human activities, and this map of human impacts was made by combining the threat maps and the vulnerability scores. Geographic Coverage The coverage spans North American marine areas, including the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Data Sources and Licensing Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Halpern et al. (2008). The data is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing redistribution and adaptation with appropriate attribution. Update frequency: Not planned Limitations of use: Acknowledgment of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and/or the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis is appreciated in products derived from these data. Vintage: 2007–2008 Applications (Intended Use) Marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based management. Allocation of conservation resources and identification of priority areas for protection. Assessing cumulative human pressures on ocean ecosystems for research and education. Supporting cross-border environmental cooperation and policy-making among North American nations. Files Download

Overview This layer shows the grasslands priority conservation areas (GPCAs) within North America's Central Grasslands, an ecosystem considered among the most threatened on the continent and the world. GPCAs are areas of tri-national importance due to their ecological significance and threatened nature, which require international cooperation for their successful conservation. This layer is part of the North American Environmental Atlas, produced through a collaboration between the national atlas programs of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, in partnership with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The 55 original GPCAs were identified in 2004 by 36 experts from Canada, Mexico, and the United States, during a workshop co-organized by the CEC and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). In 2010, the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) updated the dataset using national and international land cover, elevation, habitat, species, and bird survey data, bringing the total to 59 GPCAs. Each area was scored and ranked based on its importance to key grassland species and the rate at which its habitat was being lost. Geographic Coverage This layer covers the Central Grasslands ecosystem of North America, spanning parts of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Data Sources and Licensing This dataset draws on more than 120 physical, biological, and social data sets from federal, state, and provincial governments, engineering and environmental firms, universities, industries, and conservation organizations, including USGS land cover and elevation layers, USGS Breeding Bird Surveys and Christmas Bird Counts, RMBO bird and vegetation surveys, and Canadian Wildlife Service bird surveys. Further detail on the selection methodology is available in the North American Grassland Priority Conservation Areas: Technical Report and Documentation. This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator. Update frequency: Not planned Limitations of use: None. Acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, and (or) the Nature Conservancy would be appreciated in products derived from these data. Vintage: 2010 Applications (Intended Use) Conservation planning and priority-setting for grassland habitats across North America. Biodiversity research and monitoring of grassland-dependent species. Cross-border collaboration in the conservation of shared grassland ecosystems. Land use and natural resource management, including habitat protection. Integration with other thematic layers in the North American Environmental Atlas for continental-scale analysis. Supporting environmental cooperation and policy-making among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Files Download

Overview This Feature Service presents comprehensive bathymetric data for ocean areas within North America, resulting from a collaborative effort between the national atlas programs of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, in partnership with the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). The service provides standardized geospatial data at a 1:10,000,000 scale, forming part of the North American Environmental Atlas. Feature Layers NA Bathymetry Lines: This layer depicts isobaths, or lines of equal ocean depth, providing detailed measurements at key depths including sea level (coastline), 200, 500, and 2500 meters. It helps visualize depth contours relevant for oceanographic studies and marine navigation. NA Bathymetry Polygons: This layer complements the lines by delineating polygonal areas that represent depth ranges such as 0-200, 200-500, 500-2500, and depths greater than 2500 meters. These polygons assist in understanding the distribution of ocean depths in the region. Geographic Coverage The data covers oceanic and coastal regions of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with supplementary contextual data for adjacent areas beyond these countries to complete the geographic context. Data Sources and Licensing The data is a product of joint efforts from federal agencies including Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía in Mexico, and the U.S. Geological Survey. It is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing redistribution and adaptation with appropriate attribution. Update frequency: Irregular Limitations of use: Intended for continental-scale reference. Vintage: The information presented in the map layer represents the available input data in 2010 Applications (Intended Use) Environmental planning and management in coastal and marine ecosystems. Marine navigation and oceanographic research. Integration with other thematic layers in the North American Environmental Atlas for comprehensive continental analysis. Supporting cross-border environmental cooperation and policy-making among North American nations. Files Download

Overview This layer shows the distribution of salt marsh habitats across North America. It forms part of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) Blue Carbon mapping series, which documents the coastal ecosystems (salt marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses) that capture and store carbon along the North American coastline. Salt marshes occupy the intertidal zones of sheltered marine and estuarine coastlines, and support estuarine food webs by providing nesting, nursery, and feeding habitat for birds, fish, molluscs, and crustaceans. The extent of salt marshes in North America was estimated by combining eight source datasets produced with different methods, spanning global, national, and regional coverage and derived from both ground surveys and remotely sensed imagery. Where sources overlapped, priority was assigned following criteria defined by a trinational panel of eleven experts, convened through three national workshops led by the Mexican Carbon Program, giving precedence to more recent, finer-resolution, better-documented, and more locally specific data. The dataset is intended to support estimates of blue carbon sink potential and to serve as a standardized, publicly available input for carbon budget analyses. Documentation of every source and the preprocessing applied to each is provided in the accompanying Blue Carbon Map source data notes 2021. Geographic Coverage This layer covers the coastal zones of North America, including Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Data Sources and Licensing This dataset integrates the Global Distribution of Saltmarshes (UNEP-WCMC), the United States National Wetlands Inventory, Version 2 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), C-CAP salt marsh habitat data for New Hampshire and Rhode Island (NOAA and RIGIS), the Nova Scotia Forest Inventory, the British Columbia ShoreZone Observed Habitat Polygons, the Prince Edward Island 2000 Wetlands Inventory, the New Brunswick Hydrographic Network, and the St. Lawrence wetlands classification (Environment and Climate Change Canada). This material is licensed under CC BY 4.0, allowing non-exclusive rights to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, including for commercial purposes, so long as attribution is given to the creator. Update frequency: Irregular Limitations of use: None. Acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation would be appreciated in products derived from these data. Vintage: 2021 Applications (Intended Use) Estimating blue carbon sink potential across North American coastal ecosystems. Providing a standardized, publicly available input dataset for carbon budget analyses. Coastal habitat conservation planning and marine protected area management. Assessing coastal ecosystem vulnerability and adaptation capacity in the face of relative sea level rise. Integration with other thematic layers in the North American Environmental Atlas for comprehensive continental analysis. Supporting cross-border environmental cooperation and policy-making among North American nations. Files Download

Overview This 30-meter dataset reflects land cover information for 2010 from Mexico and Canada, and 2011 for Alaska and the conterminous United States. Each country developed its own classification method to identify land cover classes and provided an input layer to produce a continental land cover map across North America. The main inputs for image classification were 30-meter Landsat data; image selection varied by country according to site-specific requirements. Canada selected most images from 2010, with a few from 2009 and 2011; the United States primarily used 2011 imagery; and Mexico used all available images from 2010. National maps were generated for Canada by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS); for Mexico by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad), National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía), and National Forestry Commission of Mexico (Comisión Nacional Forestal); and for the United States by the United States Geological Survey. Each country used its own approach, ancillary data, and mapping methodology, and the national datasets were then combined by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) into a seamless North American product, merging four map sections: Alaska, Canada, the conterminous United States, and Mexico. The current version (version 3) includes updated data over Canada, provided by the CCRS and the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) in February 2024, along with updated 2011 land cover datasets for Alaska and the conterminous United States, provided by the USGS in February 2024. The main change in Alaska relates to the inclusion of an improved road network. No updates were performed over Mexico for this version. Land Cover Classes The raster attribute table provides 19 thematic land cover classes plus a background value, with class names in English, Spanish, and French: 1: Temperate or sub-polar needleleaf forest 2: Sub-polar taiga needleleaf forest 3: Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf evergreen forest 4: Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf deciduous forest 5: Temperate or sub-polar broadleaf deciduous forest 6: Mixed forest 7: Tropical or sub-tropical shrubland 8: Temperate or sub-polar shrubland 9: Tropical or sub-tropical grassland 10: Temperate or sub-polar grassland 11: Sub-polar or polar shrubland-lichen-moss 12: Sub-polar or polar grassland-lichen-moss 13: Sub-polar or polar barren-lichen-moss 14: Wetland 15: Cropland 16: Barren lands 17: Urban and built-up 18: Water 19: Snow and ice Geographic Coverage The service covers Canada, the United States, and Mexico, including Alaska. Data Sources and Licensing This dataset is produced by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), derived from national land cover maps provided by Natural Resources Canada, the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, the National Forestry Commission; and the United States Geological Survey. The compiled dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing redistribution and adaptation with appropriate attribution. Update frequency: Irregular Limitations of use: Intended for continental-scale reference. Vintage: 2010 Applications (Intended Use) Land cover review and continental- to national-scale mapping. Environmental monitoring and change detection over time. Spatial analysis and integration with other thematic layers in the North American Environmental Atlas. Supporting cross-border environmental cooperation and policy-making among North American nations. Files Download

Overview This dataset shows North American land cover for 2005 at a spatial resolution of 250 meters, based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery. It provides a harmonized view of the physical cover of Earth's surface across the continent, classified into nineteen Level II land cover classes defined using the Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) standard developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The dataset was produced as part of the North American Land Change Monitoring System (NALCMS), a trilateral effort between Natural Resources Canada, the United States Geological Survey, and three Mexican organizations: the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía), the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad), and the National Forestry Commission of Mexico (Comisión Nacional Forestal). The collaboration is facilitated by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), an international organization created by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation to promote environmental collaboration between the three countries. Land Cover Classes The raster attribute table provides 19 thematic land cover classes: 1: Temperate or sub-polar needleleaf forest 2: Sub-polar taiga needleleaf forest 3: Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf evergreen forest 4: Tropical or sub-tropical broadleaf deciduous forest 5: Temperate or sub-polar broadleaf deciduous forest 6: Mixed forest 7: Tropical or sub-tropical shrubland 8: Temperate or sub-polar shrubland 9: Tropical or sub-tropical grassland 10: Temperate or sub-polar grassland 11: Sub-polar or polar shrubland-lichen-moss 12: Sub-polar or polar grassland-lichen-moss 13: Sub-polar or polar barren-lichen-moss 14: Wetland 15: Cropland 16: Barren land 17: Urban and built-up 18: Water 19: Snow and ice Geographic Coverage This dataset covers Canada, Alaska, the conterminous United States, and Mexico. Data Sources and Licensing This dataset represents the baseline North American Land Cover product for 2005, later updated to produce the 2010 edition. This version (3.0) supersedes Edition 2.0, correcting labeling and classification errors identified after the initial release, and removes the water buffer along the coastline of North America to ensure consistent statistics for the water class. The dataset is produced by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), derived from national land cover maps provided by Natural Resources Canada, the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, the National Forestry Commission; and the United States Geological Survey. The compiled dataset is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing redistribution and adaptation with appropriate attribution. Update frequency: As needed Limitations of use: Intended for continental-scale reference. Vintage: 2005 Applications (Intended Use) Land cover review and continental- to national-scale mapping. Environmental monitoring and change detection over time. Spatial analysis and integration with other thematic layers in the North American Environmental Atlas. Supporting cross-border environmental cooperation and policy-making among North American nations. Files Download