North America Wetlands 2004

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 layer shows North America classified into "anthropogenic biomes," also known as "anthromes" or "human biomes." Biomes are major global ecosystem types, characterized by particular climate and soil conditions and distinctive forms of life adapted to these conditions. Incorporating the significant role of humans in altering ecosystems, this layer offers a new way of classifying the parts of the earth in which life exists.  Geographic Coverage The coverage spans the entire North American continent, including Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Data Sources and Licensing Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), based on the anthropogenic biomes classification developed by Erle C. Ellis and Navin Ramankutty in 2008, Putting people in the map: Anthropogenic biomes of the world. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6, doi:10.1890/070062. The data is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing redistribution and adaptation, including for commercial purposes, with appropriate attribution. Update frequency: Not planned Limitations of use: None. Acknowledgment of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and/or Ellis & Ramankutty (2008) would be appreciated in products derived from these data. Vintage: 2008 Applications (Intended Use) Research on human influence on terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity. Land use and land cover analysis integrating human population patterns. Conservation planning that accounts for the degree of human alteration of natural systems. Integration with other thematic layers in the North American Environmental Atlas for comprehensive continental analysis. Files Download

Overview This layer, prepared by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), shows the percentage of the total land area that was equipped for irrigation, around the year 2000. Irrigation is the practice of applying water to land to promote the growth of vegetation such as crops and pastures. The land area actually irrigated is unknown but was smaller than the amount equipped for irrigation. The data are derived from the Global Map of Irrigation Areas, version 4.0.1, produced by the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy. Geographic Coverage The coverage spans North America, including Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Data Sources and Licensing Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). Siebert, S., P. Döll, S. Feick, J. Hoogeveen and K. Frenken. 2007. Global map of irrigation areas, version 4.0.1. Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany / Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy. 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: None. Acknowledgement of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation and (or) the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) – Global Information System on Water and Agriculture would be appreciated in products derived from these data. Vintage: 2000 Applications (Intended Use) Assessing the extent and distribution of irrigated agriculture across North America. Water resource and agricultural planning. Supporting research and education on land and water use for agriculture. Cross-border environmental cooperation and reporting 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 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

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