Status of Key Findings Related to the Health of Canada’s Ecosystems

Canada has a vast and diverse natural environment with a variety of ecosystems upon which our quality of life depends. Ecosystems are made up of living things (plants, animals, people), their physical environment (land, water, climate) and the interactions between them. Canadian Biodiversity: Ecosystem Status and Trends 2010 reported the first ecosystem-level assessment of Canada’s biodiversity^[1] and presented its results through key findings. Key findings represent the most comprehensive compilation to date of the results of Canada’s ecosystem-level biodiversity research and monitoring, however they should not be interpreted as a direct and complete indicator of overall ecosystem health in Canada.

Of the report’s 20 key findings covered by this indicator, 22% were rated as impaired, 50% were rated as of concern, 18% were rated as healthy, and 10% were rated as undetermined.^[2] The trend was assessed as improving or showing little change for 25% of these key findings, with 58% getting worse, and 17% unknown.

Status of key findings related to the health of Canada’s ecosystems  

Note: The key findings, concerning either aspects of ecosystems or human interactions with ecosystems, were drawn from a series of background technical reports compiled for Canada’s first ecosystem-level biodiversity assessment.
Source: Federal, provincial and territorial governments of Canada (2010) Canadian Biodiversity: Ecosystem Status and Trends 2010.

Key findings concerned either aspects of ecosystems or human/ecosystem interactions. Based on the best available information, each key finding was assigned a status of impaired, of concern, or healthy. An example of each status rating is provided below.

Key findings concerning aspects of ecosystems were considered impaired if their condition was outside the range of natural variation, unstable, or unlikely to recover. For example, the rapid loss of ice and frozen ground across Canada’s ecosystems has affected species and food webs, and therefore Canada’s ice across biomes^[3] is considered impaired.

Aspects of ecosystems were considered to be of concern when they showed signs of stress. In a food web, plants and animals rely on populations of other plants and animals for food. Interactions between species in a food web are dynamic, with changes in one species leading to changes in another. Canada’s food webs are considered to be of concern because changes to these dynamics have been found in some ecosystems. For example, the population of the shrimp-like invertebrate Diporeia has drastically declined in all Great Lakes except Lake Superior. The health of whitefish, which eat Diporeia, has subsequently declined in some of the Great Lakes.

Key findings concerning human interactions with ecosystems were considered healthy if stressors were not causing major impacts, or if human actions were showing good progress or were adequate for conservation. Because the level of public engagement in environmental stewardship activities is good and the number and range of projects is increasing, stewardship was considered healthy in Canada.

Related information

Canadian Biodiversity: Ecosystem Status and Trends 2010