Canadian species index

The Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program provides data and information to track Canada's performance on key environmental sustainability issues. The Canadian species index represents the average percent change in the sizes of Canadian vertebrate species' populations since 1970. The index is an "average of trends", rather than a measure of change in the total number of animals: each species, whether it is common or rare, has the same effect on the index. The index reports general trends rather than progress towards desired levels. Animal wildlife populations depend on healthy habitats and can be negatively impacted by threats such as pollution or hunting. Trends in animal populations are a good proxy measure of overall trends in biodiversity and ecosystem health. Information is provided to Canadians in a number of formats including: static and interactive maps, charts and graphs, HTML and CSV data tables and downloadable reports. See the supplementary documentation for the data sources and details on how the data were collected and how the indicator was calculated.

Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators: https://www.canada.ca/environmental-indicators

Supplemental Information

Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators - Home page:

           https://www.canada.ca/environmental-indicators


           Supporting Projects: Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI)

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2026, 17:27 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 17:27 (UTC)
contact_email indicateurs-indicators@ec.gc.ca
contact_person {}
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geographic_scope ["0"]
open_canada_collection primary
open_canada_date_modified 2023-10-10 00:00:00
open_canada_date_published 2018-02-26 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"fr": ["Indicateur environnemental", "Population", "indicateurs environnementaux", "indicateur environnemental", "nature", "ressources biologiques", "indice des espèces canadiennes", "populations de vertébrés", "groupe d'espèces", "espèces sauvages", "populations", "mammifères", "mammifère", "poissons", "poisson", "oiseaux", "oiseau", "reptiles", "reptile", "amphibiens", "amphibien"], "en": ["Environmental indicators", "Population", "environmental indicators", "nature", "biological resources", "canadian species index", "vertebrate populations", "populations", "species group", "wildlife", "mammals", "fish", "birds", "amphibians", "reptiles"]}
open_canada_subject ["nature_and_environment"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Indice des espèces canadiennes
update_frequency as_needed