Limites de l'habitat essentiel de l’aster du golfe Saint-Laurent (Symphyotrichum laurentianum) - Région du Québec

This feature dataset focuses on a terrestrial species at risk, the Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster (Symphyotrichum laurentianum), under the responsibility of Environment and Climate Change Canada.It displays the geographic areas in Quebec where critical habitat has been designated under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). However, not all of the area within these boundaries is necessarily critical habitat. To precisely define what constitutes critical habitat for a particular species, it is essential that this geospatial information be considered in conjunction with complementary information provided in a species’ recovery document (recovery program or action plan). These documents can be downloaded from the Species at Risk Public Registry (http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca). The recovery documents contain important information about the interpretation of the geospatial information, especially regarding the biological and environmental features (“biophysical attributes”) that complete the definition of a species’ critical habitat. Each species’ dataset is part of a larger collection of critical habitat data that is available for download. This dataset contains the “final” critical habitat, as described in the most recent version of the recovery document posted on the Registry for a given species. It is important to note that recovery planning documents (and, therefore, critical habitat) may be amended from time to time as new information becomes available, which may occur after a document has been posted on the Registry. You should always consider the SARA Public Registry as the main source for critical habitat information. In cases where the data are sensitive (e.g. species for which illegal harvesting is a threat identified in the recovery planning document), the geographic area within which critical habitat occurs may be represented as “grid squares.” These are coarse grid squares (1, 10, 50 or 100 km2) based on a UTM grid that serve as indicators to locate critical habitat in the recovery planning document. To reiterate, not all of the area within these boundaries is necessarily critical habitat. Critical habitat is defined in Section 2 of SARA as “the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as the species’ critical habitat in the recovery strategy or in an action plan for the species.” SARA also stipulates that it is illegal to destroy any part of the critical habitat of a species at risk; however, critical habitat identification alone is not an automatic “protection” designation. Federal or non-federal laws or bylaws may be in place to provide protection. The information provided consists of the detailed mapping of CH boundaries using the best available information. These are the detailed polygons, henceforth referred to as CH Units. Some of the information provided includes geographic information that is the property of the Government of Quebec. For more details, consult the Recovery Strategy available at the following address: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/recovery-strategies/gulf-st-lawrence-aster-2012.html

本数据集聚焦于受加拿大环境与气候变化部（Environment and Climate Change Canada）管辖的濒危陆生物种——圣劳伦斯湾紫菀（Gulf of St. Lawrence Aster，学名*Symphyotrichum laurentianum*）。本数据集展示了魁北克省境内依据《濒危物种法》（Species at Risk Act，SARA）划定的关键栖息地地理范围。不过，上述划定范围内的区域未必全部属于关键栖息地。

若要精准界定某一物种的关键栖息地范畴，需将此类地理空间信息与该物种恢复文件（恢复计划或行动方案）中的补充信息相结合进行研判。上述文件可从《濒危物种公共登记系统》（Species at Risk Public Registry，网址：http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca）下载获取。恢复文件中包含地理空间信息的解读细则，尤其是完善物种关键栖息地定义所需的生物与环境特征（生物物理属性，biophysical attributes）相关内容。

各物种的数据集均属于可下载的全域关键栖息地数据集合的一部分。本数据集包含某一物种在登记系统中发布的最新版恢复文件所定义的“最终版”关键栖息地。需注意的是，随着新信息的出现（可能在文件发布至登记系统后才获取到此类信息），恢复规划文件（及对应的关键栖息地信息）可能会不时修订。请始终以《濒危物种公共登记系统》作为关键栖息地信息的权威来源。

若数据涉及敏感内容（例如恢复规划文件中明确提及非法采挖为威胁因素的物种），关键栖息地的地理范围可能会以“网格单元”的形式呈现。此类粗分辨率网格单元基于通用横轴墨卡托格网（UTM grid）构建，尺度为1、10、50或100平方千米，用于在恢复规划文件中指示关键栖息地的位置。需再次强调：上述划定范围内的区域未必全部属于关键栖息地。

《濒危物种法》（SARA）第2条将关键栖息地定义为：“列入名录的野生生物物种存续或恢复所必需的栖息地，且在该物种的恢复策略或行动方案中被明确认定为该物种的关键栖息地。”此外，该法规定，破坏濒危物种的任何关键栖息地均属违法行为；但仅凭关键栖息地认定，并不会自动触发“保护”标识，相关保护可能需依托联邦或非联邦的法律、规章或地方性法规实现。

本数据集提供的信息基于现有最优数据，对关键栖息地（Critical Habitat，CH）边界进行了精细化制图，此类精细化边界以多边形矢量数据形式呈现，后续统称为CH单元。本数据集部分地理信息归魁北克省政府所有。如需获取更多详情，请查阅以下网址发布的恢复方案：https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/recovery-strategies/gulf-st-lawrence-aster-2012.html