Criteria for ecological corridors

Parks Canada collaborated with numerous experts, Indigenous partners, other levels of governments, and stakeholders to build an approach to identify and create ecological corridors in Canada. This includes criteria for ecological corridors in Canada, a framework to advance corridor initiatives with a shared understanding and promote best practices for the conservation of ecological connectivity.

Definition of ecological corridors

Parks Canada used the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (PDF, 5.5MB) definition of an ecological corridor as a starting point. We engaged with numerous partners and stakeholders, including Indigenous peoples, and created a national definition that recognizes the role of Indigenous peoples as stewards of the lands and waters since time immemorial:

“A clearly defined geographical space where governance, management and stewardship over the long term maintain or restore effective ecological connectivity while upholding Indigenous stewardship values.”

(Parks Canada, 2024)

Learn more about Indigenous stewardship values, and Parks Canada’s engagement with Indigenous peoples on ecological corridors

Corridors should not replace the establishment of new or expanded protected and conserved areas. Having a definition and related criteria in place can help determine if an ecological corridor is the right conservation tool to achieve the desired conservation outcomes or if other conservation approaches should be pursued.

Criteria and guidance

The criteria for ecological corridors in Canada are aligned with the definition (bolded above). Each criterion is used to evaluate important elements of the definition. Corridors will often be created on lands and waters with a patchwork of ownership, governance and management. The corridor-scale criteria are intended to evaluate the entire corridor vision and management/stewardship plan. The property-scale criteria are intended to evaluate how each property (or group of properties) contributes to corridor goals, based on their governance and management/stewardship characteristics.

Download the PDF version of the Criteria for ecological corridors in Canada (PDF, 2.67 MB)

Detailed guidance on the use of criteria is available on the Open Government Portal and upon request.

Criteria at-a-glance

Summary of criteria for ecological corridors in Canada
Corridor-scale criteria (Where and Why a corridor is needed)		Property-scale criteria (How properties contribute to the corridor)
Corridors are spatially-defined	Corridors have documented goals and objectives and monitored outcomes	Corridor lands and waters meet the governance and management criteria
Geographic space	Corridor goals to: maintain or restore ecological connectivity; and uphold Indigenous stewardship values	Management/stewardship intent
Publicly available map		Effective means
Link between protected and conserved areas and/or unprotected natural habitat	Corridor objectives	Governing bodies and decision-makers
	Monitoring corridor outcomes	Long-term

Criteria description

A more detailed description of elements mentioned in the criteria at-a-glance section above.

Summary of criteria for ecological corridors in Canada
Criterion	Intended effect	Description and rationale
Corridor-scale criteria - Where and Why a corridor is needed
Geographic space Corridors are delineated on publicly available maps and build ecological networks for conservation	The corridor is delineated such that it links protected and conserved areas, and/or unprotected natural habitat, and guides the implementation of measures in support of corridor goals and objectives.	Ensuring that corridor mapping is publicly available supports: implementing conservation measures; accounting and reporting; identifying relevant governing bodies and decision-makers; enhancing transparency; raising public awareness of the corridor. To address sensitivities related to data ownership, “fuzzy” boundaries are acceptable for publication, but precise boundary data must exist and be included in the corridor stewardship plan.
Goals, objectives and outcomes Corridor goals and objectives are documented, and outcomes are monitored	Ecological connectivity is maintained or restored, and Indigenous stewardship values are upheld.	Clearly documented goals and objectives provide a roadmap and facilitate collaborative action for the achievement of corridor outcomes, through active restoration and stewardship, while also providing a basis for evaluation and monitoring.
Property-scale criteria - How properties contribute to the corridor
Management/Stewardship intent The management intent is described and documented.	Management/stewardship intent is compatible with corridor goals and objectives.	Expression of intent is a clearly communicated statement or set of objectives for the property found in a mechanism or mean being used to manage/steward the property. The management/stewardship intent of properties composing the corridor does not have to be explicitly or exclusively aligned with the corridor goals and objectives; however, it must not be in conflict.
Effective means Means or mechanisms are in place and provide the ability to prevent or manage/steward what occurs within the corridor.	Only activities that are compatible with the corridor goals and objectives occur and are effectively managed/stewarded.	Means must exist to enable decision-makers to prevent incompatible activities and manage/steward activities compatible with the corridor goals and objectives. Examples of legal means include Indigenous law, legislation, bylaws, policy instruments and contracts. Other effective means include non-legal tools such as voluntary agreements, incentive programs, negotiation, influence and recognized traditional rules.
Governing bodies & decision-makers Decision-makers act in a manner that is compatible with the corridor goals and objectives.	Governing bodies and decision-makers have the ability to apply effective means to ensure that only activities compatible with corridor goals and objectives occur.	Having effective means is not enough to ensure that only compatible activities occur. Governing bodies and decision-makers must be able to apply them. All relevant governing bodies and decision-makers must be identified, and where they exist, track records of success or failure of decision-makers in using the effective means should be considered.
Long term Long-term means or mechanisms are in place and in effect year-round.	Corridor goals and objectives are maintained year-round and over the long term.	Means do not need to be permanent but should be intended to persist over the medium to long-term. Measures that only provide protection during a specific seasonal timeframe do not, on their own, achieve corridor goals and objectives.

Who these criteria are for

Applying or implementing the criteria for ecological corridors can be done by anyone.

Typically, conservation organizations, or voluntary groups and associations already leading a corridor initiative would have an interest in developing a stewardship plan that demonstrates how their project meets the criteria. Going through this process can help identify where potential improvements could be made to strengthen the governance and management mechanisms in place to achieve corridor goals and objectives.

Similarly, those leading nascent corridor initiatives can use the criteria as a tool to build a solid stewardship plan. This includes documenting where and why a corridor is needed, and how corridor lands and waters are/will be managed to achieve the corridor goals.

Criteria focused on governance and management

Sound governance and management are important to achieve connectivity outcomes, especially in the context of ecological corridors, which include diverse jurisdictions and stakeholders. The property-scale criteria help ensure there are effective means and clear decision-making processes in place across the corridor to enable and sustain the implementation of measures in support of the corridor goals.

Ecological considerations will vary for each corridor, based on the needs and characteristics of the species, ecosystems and stewardship values relevant to the corridor. As such, corridor-scale criteria are not prescriptive in terms of ecological considerations but require the identification of specific connectivity objectives and desired connectivity outcomes.

Parks Canada’s approach

Parks Canada’s Criteria for ecological corridors in Canada are derived from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Guidelines for Conserving Ecological Connectivity through Ecological Networks and Corridors (PDF, 5.5 MB). They also align closely with the approach to identify and recognize Protected Areas (PA) and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECM) in Canada, although they were modified in response to engagement with Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners and stakeholders.

Parks Canada will not own or administer corridors but will collaborate with partners to:

advance corridor creation and stewardship
support and promote corridor initiatives on the ground

The creation of ecological corridors contributes to the effective management of existing and new protected and conserved areas, thereby helping address the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. In some cases, it may also lead to the identification of additional protected and conserved areas that could count towards Canada’s biodiversity commitments to conserve 30 percent of land and inland waters by 2030.

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