
National Program for Ecological Corridors
Supporting Indigenous leadership in ecological corridors
Read about our work with partners and stakeholders to advance reconciliation and protect biodiversity.
Criteria for ecological corridors
Parks Canada’s approach to evaluating ecological corridors in Canada.
National priority areas for ecological corridors
See where ecological corridors are most needed in Canada.
Ecological corridor projects
Find out about work underway.
Connecting landscapes
The network of protected areas in Canada plays an important role in helping to address the impacts of climate change and safeguarding biodiversity. To continue to play this role, protected and conserved areas must be connected to one another. That is where ecological corridors come into play.
Ecological corridors are areas of land and water that aim to maintain or restore ecological connectivity. They do this by allowing species to move, and natural processes to flow freely across large landscapes. More formally, Parks Canada defines an ecological corridor as “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.”

Complementing protected and conserved areas
Ecological corridors provide biodiversity and human well-being benefits. They are “nature-based solutions” that:
- help species adapt to climate change by protecting and restoring ecosystems
- lessen the impact of human development on natural habitats
- connect various habitat types that species need to eat, breed, and migrate
- support vital ecosystem services like the provision of food and clean air, and nutrient and water cycles
- maintain healthy and viable wildlife populations
- promote human-wildlife coexistence
- foster connections between people and nature
Ecological corridors are created by and for communities.
They are…
- locally driven and managed/stewarded
- based on voluntary participation from landowners and land managers, and other willing collaborators
- often within working landscapes that support sustainable livelihoods
They are not…
- managed, owned or administered by Parks Canada
- established under federal legislation or federally regulated areas
- protected or conserved areas, like national parks
Ecological networks for conservation
Ecological corridors are not protected areas. Rather, they form part of ecological networks for conservation along with Protected Areas (PAs), Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and unprotected natural habitat. The term “unprotected natural habitat” refers to areas with documented and recognized ecological and cultural values but that are not protected or conserved. Examples include, but are not limited to, Key Biodiversity Areas, Biosphere Reserves, Important Bird Areas, and other sites that are not under formal protection.

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Ecological network for conservation - Text version
An illustration shows a landscape of mountains, scattered mixed-forest patches, and lakes under a light blue sky. The mountains are in the background, moving to rolling hills in the middle of the image. A large lake stretches across the landscape, with smaller lakes in the foreground. Small towns are dispersed throughout the landscape. A large town and farm fields are visible in the foreground, surrounded by smaller lakes. Patches of forests, mountains, and lakes are shown overlaid with a dotted pattern. These dotted patches of land and water represent protected and conserved areas. Other areas representing ecological corridors are shown outlined by a dotted line. These ecological corridors are connecting the protected and conserved areas.
The corridors stretch between and around the small towns, including some of the farm fields. They cross land and water areas. A school of fish is shown in the area where one protected area and ecological corridor meet in the lake. Many wildlife are also visible throughout the natural areas. Most of the wildlife are shown in the ecological corridors and protected and conserved areas. These include bears, caribou, mountain goats, wolves, herons, porcupines, turtles, deer, and a fox. Two hikers can also be seen using one of the ecological corridors.
An ecological network for conservation.
Interconnected networks of PAs, OECMs, and other natural areas are important for biodiversity conservation. This is especially true in the face of climate change.
For further information about ecological connectivity and corridors check out the video linked below. It provides an excellent overview of ecological connectivity and why it is important for protecting wildlife and wild places.
Activities of the National Program for Ecological Corridors
- Collaborate with other levels of government, Indigenous partners, experts, and stakeholders
- Maintain national criteria for ecological corridors that protect and restore ecological connectivity
- Identify and map priority areas where ecological corridors would halt and reverse biodiversity loss across Canada
- Support on-the-ground work for corridors through funding towards conservation, restoration, and management
- Work with Indigenous partners to provide land stewardship and connection opportunities
- Inspire others to take measures in support of ecological connectivity and corridors

Contact us
Questions or comments about the National Program for Ecological Corridors?
News releases
- Parks Canada contributes nearly 6 million to support ecological corridors in Canada
- Government of Canada launches new National Program for Ecological Corridors
- Government of Canada to protect nature in Ontario
- Government of Canada contributes to the conservation of the Forillon Ecological Corridor
- Wildlife overpass to keep drivers, bighorn sheep safe
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