Wildlife Habitat Capacity on Farmland

Summary

Canada's farmland provides important wildlife habitat. Most habitat is in the form of natural and semi-natural types of land cover such as woodland, wetland and managed grassland.
Natural and semi-natural habitat also provides services such as crop pollination, pest control, improved soil and water quality and reduced carbon in the atmosphere.
The Wildlife Habitat Availability on Farmland indicator measures how much habitat there is for Canada's farmland wildlife and whether this is changing over time.
Canada's farmland has a Moderate or High amount of wildlife habitat and this has been Stable over time. Some regions of Canada are areas of concern. This is because of a decrease in natural and semi-natural land cover and an increase in annual cropland.
Farm planning and Beneficial Management Practices can help farmers improve farmland wildlife habitat while keeping costs in mind.

Wildlife habitat on farmland: why does it matter?

Healthy natural habitat and wildlife populations can provide important services on farmland, known as ecological goods and services. These include such things as crop pollination, natural pest control, improved water quality and storage and carbon sequestration as well as cultural services such as improved spiritual, mental and physical health.

Canada's farmland provides habitat for about 550 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Each species has unique feeding and breeding habitat requirements. Only 3% of these species can meet all their needs on annual cropland alone. Most species depend on natural habitat such as forest, wetland and grassland. They can only thrive if these habitats are available.

Half of Canada's land animal Species at Risk use farmland at some stage in their life cycles. Species at Risk are species that are in danger of disappearing from Canada. To help protect these species, it is important to understand how farming impacts their habitat. In some cases, Provincial or Federal regulations (such as the Species at Risk Act or the Migratory Bird Convention Act) might also require protection of these species or their habitats.

The Government of Canada must also report on the condition of farmland wildlife and wildlife habitat. This helps the public and other countries know if Canada's wildlife populations are healthy and where improvements need to be made.

How do farming activities affect wildlife habitat?

Farming activities can have major impacts on wildlife. Specific farming activities can degrade farmland wildlife habitat: converting natural habitat to cropland or pasture, draining wetlands, removing windbreaks, using chemicals and by grazing livestock at too high a density. These changes can reduce the amount and the quality of the habitat.

On the other hand, farming activities can improve wildlife habitat by retaining, or restoring, natural and semi-natural areas. For example, cropland can provide better wildlife habitat if other types of land cover are also present nearby. This includes such cover types as native grasslands (in Western Canada) and unimproved pasture (in Eastern Canada).

Wildlife Habitat Availability on Farmland — the indicator

The Wildlife Habitat Availability on Farmland indicator measures how much habitat there is for wildlife on Canada's farmland. It also measures whether this is changing over time.

To assess this, first, the indicator determines the land cover types each species needs for feeding and for breeding. Second, the indicator measures the amount of each land cover type on Canada's farmland. This is done using satellite imagery and Canada's Census of Agriculture. The indicator measures the following land cover types: Settlement, Vegetated Settlement, Cropland, Managed Grassland, Woodland, Woodland Regeneration (following harvest), Woodland Regeneration (following fire), Wooded Wetland, Wetland, Water, and Other Land. Finally, the indicator combines these to determine the overall amount farmland wildlife habitat. This is called the Wildlife Habitat Capacity. It is scored as Very Low, Low, Moderate, High or Very High.

The Government of Canada calculates The Habitat Capacity indicator every five years. It helps the Government know how the amount of farmland wildlife habitat is changing over time. This helps to identify where changes to farming practices are needed.

Spatial distribution of Wildlife Habitat Capacity among state classes in the Canadian agricultural extent.

Wildlife habitat in Canada — amount and change over time

Wildlife Habitat Use

Natural and semi-natural land are very important to wildlife (Woodland, Wooded Wetland, Wetland, Water, Managed Grassland and Unimproved Pasture). In 2015, these cover types accounted for 62% of farmland. They provide feeding and breeding habitat for most farmland species. Cropland (35% of farmland), on the other hand, only provides breeding habitat for 3% of species.

Wildlife Habitat Capacity

On average, Canada's farmland was rated 'Moderate' for breeding habitat capacity in 2015: 48% was rated 'High' or' Very High' while 24% was rated 'Very Low'. Feeding habitat capacity was rated 'High' for the same period: 58% was rated 'High' or 'Very High' and 22% as 'Moderate'. In general, habitat capacity was lowest on land with a high area of cropland.

Spatial distribution of reproductive Wildlife Habitat Capacity among state classes in the Canadian agricultural extent.

Spatial distribution of feeding Wildlife Habitat Capacity among state classes in the Canadian agricultural extent.

Between 2000 and 2015, on average, habitat capacity for breeding and feeding was rated as 'stable' in Canada. Despite this, there were differences across the country: breeding habitat capacity declined on 25% of land and feeding habitat capacity declined on 15% of land.

Spatial distribution of the change in wildlife habitat capacity among state classes in the Canadian agricultural extent

Areas of concern

Decline in habitat capacity over time is largely due to three factors: loss of natural and semi-natural cover (primarily Managed Grassland, Woodland and Wetland), loss of Perennial Cropland and Unimproved Pasture and gain in Annual Cropland and Settlement.

Coastal areas (British Columbia and the Maritimes)

Areas of concern include British Columbia's lower mainland, central river valleys of the Thompson Okanagan Plateau, central Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia Annapolis-Minas lowlands. Decline in habitat capacity was caused by three major factors. Loss of Woodland was caused mainly by regional forest harvest (most of which did not take place directly on farmland). Loss of Perennial Cropland and gain in Settlement (mainly urban expansion in British Columbia's lower mainland) were also factors.

Prairies

Much of the Prairies has a 'Low' or 'Very Low' habitat capacity so many areas are of concern. Decline in habitat capacity was caused by loss of Managed Grassland, Unimproved Pasture, Wetlands and Perennial Cropland and gain in Annual Cropland.

Central Canada

Areas of concern include Ontario's Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe and Lake Erie lowlands and Quebec's St. Lawrence lowlands. Decline in habitat capacity was caused by loss of Perennial Cropland, Unimproved Pasture and Woodland and gain in Annual Cropland and Settlement.

How can farmland wildlife habitat be improved?

Most of Canada's farmland is privately owned. Therefore, activities of farmers can have important impacts on Canada's wildlife habitat. Maintaining wildlife habitat on farmland can be challenging. Some very profitable types of agriculture require removal of natural and semi-natural land cover. However, wildlife depend on these land cover types the most.

Many programs exist in Canada to encourage farmers to retain or restore wildlife habitat. Through environmental farm planning, farmers learn how their decisions impact farmland wildlife. Beneficial Management Practices can help producers maintain, or improve, wildlife habitat on farmland while keeping costs in mind. Examples of Beneficial Management Practices include:

managing riparian areas and woodlots
converting marginal cropland to permanent cover
planting or maintaining shelterbelts and hedgerows
delaying haying
conserving wetland and wetland buffers
conserving natural and semi-natural land

Glossary

Cropland: Land used to grow annual crops (crops that need to be seeded each year such as corn) or perennial crops (crops that do not need to be seeded each year such as fruit trees).
Managed Grassland: Natural grasslands and shrubland used for cattle grazing.
Natural land cover: Areas not modified by human actions including woodland and wetland.
Other Land: Non-vegetated land such as rock, beaches, ice or barrens.
Semi-natural land cover: Areas not planted by humans but influenced by human actions such as managed grassland.
Settlement: Built-up and urban land cover.
Unimproved pasture: Natural areas used for pasture.
Vegetated Settlement: Vegetated areas near settlement.
Water: Areas covered with water with no emergent vegetation.
Wetland: Areas where soil is saturated with water at least part of the year and emergent vegetation is present.
Wooded Wetland: Areas where soil is saturated at least part of the year and emergent trees or shrubs are present.
Woodland: Areas covered by trees.
Woodland regeneration after fire: Areas where forest is regrowing after a fire less than 20 years ago.
Woodland regeneration after harvest: Areas where forest is regrowing after being cut less than 20 years ago.

Learn More

Wildlife Habitat Capacity technical report

Related indicators

The Soil Cover Indicator summarizes the effective number of days in a year that agricultural soils are covered by vegetation, crop residue or snow. When combined with the Wildlife Habitat Capacity Indicator, it provides a snapshot of biodiversity potential on farmland in Canada.

Additional sources and downloads

Discover and download geospatial data related to this and other indicators.