Introduction to Parks Canada
National Park System Plan
37 National Parks
10 National Park Reserves
representing 31 of Canada’s 39 terrestrial natural regions. These wild places, located in every province and territory, range from mountains and plains, to boreal forests and tundra, to lakes and glaciers, and beyond. National parks protect the habitats, wildlife, and ecosystem diversity representative of these natural regions. Parks Canada is responsible for protecting these areas, and for managing them for visitors to understand, appreciate, and enjoy in a way that doesn't compromise their ecological integrity.
National Park System Plan identifies each of Canada’s 39 unique natural regions. The aim is to protect a representative sample of each of these landscapes. This framework has helped guide the expansion of the parks system for decades.
Source: Parks Canada official website https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np
What is a national park reserve?
A national park reserve is an area that is managed like a national park but is subject to one or more Indigenous land claims. These land claims are being negotiated between the federal and Indigenous governments. Indigenous peoples continue to use the land for traditional hunting, fishing, and trapping. The Canada National Park Act applies to the national park reserve and provides the same protections to those of national parks. The resolution of the land claims finalizes the boundaries and establishment conditions, and the national park reserve can be brought under the Canada National Parks Act as a national park.
Map of national parks and national park reserves in Canada
This is a map of the country of Canada, divided into provinces, territories, and natural regions. The general purpose of this map is to identify the 39 terrestrial regions of Canada including whether or not they are presently represented by a national park or national park reserve.
Link to the high resolution format: https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/wet4/pn-np/pn-np-plan/np-natural-regions-under-rep-en-jun2022-high-res.png
List of National Par ks
Nova Scotia
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site
Sable Island National Park Reserve
Yukon Territory
Ivvavik National Park
Kluane National Park Reserve
Vuntut National Park
British Columbia
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve
Mount Revelstoke National Park
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Nunavut Territory
Auyuittuq National Park
Qausuittuq National Park
Quttinirpaaq National Park
Sirmilik National Park
Ukkusiksalik National Park
Manitoba
Riding Mountain National Park
Wapusk National Park
Ontario
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Georgian Bay Islands National Park
Point Pelee National Park
Pukaskwa National Park
Rouge National Urban Park
Thousand Islands National Park
New Brunswick
Fundy National Park
Kouchibouguac National Park
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island National Park
Newfoundland and Labrador
Akami-Uapishk-KakKasuak-Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve
Gros Morne National Park
Terra Nova National Park
Torngat Mountains National Park
Quebec
Forillon National Park
La Mauricie National Park
Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve
Northwest Territories
Aulavik National Park
Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nááts'ihch'oh National Park Reserve
Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve
Tuktut Nogait National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park
Saskatchewan
Grasslands National Park
Prince Albert National Park
National Marine Conservation Areas
Protecting and conserving representative marine areas for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people of Canada and the world.
There are currently 5 national marine conservation areas (NMCAs) in Canada. They represent 6 of the 29 marine regions identified in the NMCA system plan, and protect approximately 123,490 square kilometers of Canada’s marine and freshwater ecosystems in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans and the Great Lakes. In 2021 Parks Canada committed to establishing 10 new marine and four new freshwater NMCAs in the next five years, working with Indigenous communities on co-management agreements for these NMCAs.
https://parks.canada.ca/amnc-nmca
National Historic Sites
There are 1004 national historic sites in Canada, located in every Canadian province and territory. 171 of these are administered by Parks Canada.
National historic sites can be found in almost any setting, from rural and urban to wilderness; they may be sacred spaces, archaeological sites, battlefields, heritage houses, historic districts, places of scientific discovery, and much more.
These sites allow us to learn more about Canadian history, including the diverse cultural communities who make up Canada, and the history and culture of Indigenous peoples.
For a full list National Historic Site Designations, please check this link https://parks.canada.ca/culture/~/link.aspx?_id=B62C064F75B34E10B9C070A5F1A7380E&_z=z
National Program for Ecological Corridors
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.
There are three main types of ecological corridors:
Linear: Unbroken strips of habitat.
Stepping Stone: Small, scattered patches of habitat.
Landscape: An uninterrupted patchwork of landscape features.
List of National Marine Conservation Area
British Columbia:
Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve
Ontario:
Fathom Five National Marine Park
Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area
Quebec:
Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park
Nunavut:
Tallurutiup Image National Marine Conservation Area
Map of national Marine Conservation Areas, National Marine Conservation Area Reserves, National Marine Parks
National Urban Parks
Parks Canada is collaborating with partners, including Indigenous peoples, to create a network of national urban parks in Canada’s large urban centers.
Each national urban park will be unique and created through partnerships. Together, these parks will create a network with a shared vision of conserving nature, connecting people with nature and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
Rouge National Urban Park is the first national urban park in Canada.