Ministry of Environment Ecology

Interpretative Maps

Ecosystem maps, along with associated interpretations, supply valuable information for many uses, particularly planning resource allocation. The maps are used to meet many Forest and Range Practices Act-related needs, including landscape unit planning, timber supply review, and range use planning. They are also used in the development and application of the Biodiversity guidelines, the Riparian Management Area guidelines, and the Identified Wildlife Management Strategy. Visit the Wildlife Habitat Ratings and Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory web sites for more information regarding these commonly used interpretative themes.

Three supporting software tools have been developed to facilitate the process of generating interpretive themes from ecosystem mapping products. These tools apply to ecosystem mapping projects completed in accordance with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) and/or Predictive Ecosystem Mapping (PEM) mapping standards. Visit the Wildlife Habitat Ratings Support Tools and Application page for further information.

Due the array of potential interpretive uses, as outlined above, it is critical to assess the thematic accuracy of individual mapping projects prior to the use of project data for interpretations that extend beyond the intent of the original project objectives. See the TEM/PEM Accuracy Assessment page for for more information about thematic map accuracy assessment.