Extent of Canada's wetlands
Access PDF (306 KB)
Wetlands are among Earth's most productive ecosystems. They provide numerous ecosystem services and support many species (including species at risk) and significant numbers of migratory birds, fish and amphibians. They are also home to a wide diversity of plants, and many other species.
Canada has about 1.29 million km2 of wetlands, covering 13% of Canada's terrestrialFootnote [1] area. This is close to one quarter of the world's remaining wetlands.Footnote [2] Where wetlands have been monitored, they generally show declines in extent due to conversion to agriculture and other development.Footnote [3]
Most of Canada's wetlands occur in the Boreal Shield (25% of Canadian wetland area), Hudson Plains (21%) and Boreal Plains (18%). Wetlands form almost 80% of the Hudson Plains, and very low proportions of mountainous regions such as the Arctic Cordillera (less than 0.5%) and Montane Cordillera (less than 2%).
Wetland extent, Canada, circa 2000Footnote [4]
Long description
The map shows the proportion of wetlands across Canada. The Hudson Plains and the southwestern Boreal Forest have the highest proportion of wetlands, while Arctic, Cordilleran and Prairie regions have the lowest.
Data for this map
| Ecozone Label | Ecozone | Wetland area (square kilometres) |
Proportion of ecozone that is wetland (percentage) |
|---|---|---|---|
| L01 | Arctic Cordillera | 1059 | 0.45 |
| L02 | Northern Arctic | 48 877 | 3.4 |
| L03 | Southern Arctic | 52 472 | 5.6 |
| L04 | Taiga Plains | 138 737 | 25.0 |
| L05 | Taiga Shield | 145 873 | 11.0 |
| L06 | Boreal Shield | 320 778 | 16.9 |
| L07 | Atlantic Maritime | 6920 | 6.3 |
| L08 | Mixedwood Plains | 12 857 | 11.1 |
| L09 | Boreal Plains | 235 938 | 30.3 |
| L10 | Prairies | 14 269 | 3.1 |
| L11 | Montane Cordillera | 8152 | 1.86 |
| L12 | Pacific Maritime | 2587 | 1.2 |
| L13 | Boreal Cordillera | 7121 | 1.28 |
| L14 | Taiga Cordillera | 2581 | 1.12 |
| L15 | Hudson Plains | 276 230 | 78.8 |
| L16 | Tundra Cordillera | 188 | 0.65 |
| L17 | Atlantic Highlands | 3536 | 3.8 |
| L18 | Semi-Arid Plateaux | 460 | 0.81 |
| Total | 1 290 187 | 12.9 |
Note: The sum of the wetland area of the ecozones does not equal the overall total due to the generalization of boundaries at the national scale.
Download data file (Excel/CSV; 1.04 KB)
How this indicator was calculated
Unlabeled map
Note: Mapped values are the proportion of wetland in each 25 km by 25 km grid cell.
Source: Canadian Wildlife Service, 2016.
Wetlands can be defined as "areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt."Footnote [5] Alternatively, a wetland can be defined by its function, as land that is saturated with water long enough to promote aquatic processes.Footnote [6] Many types of wetlands are included within these definitions, but familiar examples include bogs, fens, marshes, swamps, and ponds.
Wetlands are valuable ecosystems. They support a disproportionately high number of species and are often very productive. Wetlands provide a range of benefits to people. Such "ecosystem services," include purifying water and removing pollutants, buffering water flows during times of flood or drought, capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere, and providing places to watch wildlife and reconnect with the natural environment.
Related information
Access PDF (306 KB)
Page details
- Date modified: