Land area map depicting Earth Observation for Sustainable Development (EOSD) classification and codes.

The Commission on Environmental Cooperation, in concert with a trinational group of experts, has identified North American species of common conservation concern (SCCC). These terrestrial and marine species comprise a group of important migratory, transboundary and endemic species selected from among the continent’s great wealth of wild flora and fauna.

This polygon data set includes the protected areas of North America that are managed by national, state, provincial, or territorial authorities. As defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a protected area is an “area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.” The data set was assembled from other public data sets containing data on protected areas in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Protected area data were obtained from Natural Resources Canada and the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks for areas in Canada; the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the Nature Conservancy for areas in Mexico; and the Protected Areas Database (PAD-US Partnership) for areas in the United States.

This map was developed by the forestry agencies of the three countries: Canadian Forest Service, US Forest Service and the Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR). Their collaboration results in an update of the FAO ecological zones data from 2000, based on the CEC's terrestrial ecoregion data. The FAO ecological zones are based on a combination of climate (temperature and precipitation) and potential vegetation classifications. They are broad areas of relatively homogeneous vegetation, with similar physical characteristics. Some ecological zones (i.e. temperate steppe) contain limited or no forest; areas are considered forested when they have a 10 percent minimum crown cover. Orchards and other fruit tree plantations used for agricultural production are not classified as forests.

Forest vegetation inventory management map depicting various inventory projects (pre 1970 -2003). Inventory based on 1:20,000 and 1:40,000 black & white digital orthophotography.

Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 broad ecological regions. The 50 level II North American ecological regions provide a more detailed description of the large ecological areas nested within the level I regions and are useful for national and sub-continental overviews of ecological patterns. The 182 level III ecological regions, smaller ecological areas nested within level II regions, enhance regional environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting, as well as decision-making.

Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 broad ecological regions. The 50 level II North American ecological regions provide a more detailed description of the large ecological areas nested within the level I regions and are useful for national and sub-continental overviews of ecological patterns. The 182 level III ecological regions, smaller ecological areas nested within level II regions, enhance regional environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting, as well as decision-making.

Level I is the coarsest level, dividing North America into 15 broad ecological regions. The 50 level II North American ecological regions provide a more detailed description of the large ecological areas nested within the level I regions and are useful for national and sub-continental overviews of ecological patterns. The 182 level III ecological regions, smaller ecological areas nested within level II regions, enhance regional environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting, as well as decision-making.

16-bit elevation data of North America at 1-km resolution created for joint work between the Atlas of Canada, INEGI, and the National Atlas of the United States. The North American Atlas – Basin Watersheds data set shows watersheds in North America at 1:10,000,000. Watersheds are mapped in a hierarchical system, with the largest units encompassing the entire drainage areas of major rivers or river systems, or encompassing seaboard areas. Within these large units, subsequently smaller units encompass the drainage areas of smaller rivers and streams.