Regional Maps
Get to Know the FAB Region Through Maps
Mapping matters! Maps help us see connections that aren’t always visible on the ground. In the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region, mapping allows us to:
- Inform conservation planning by prioritizing areas for protection and restoration
- Inform conservation partnerships
- Document ecological and cultural values
- Understand wildlife movement and habitat fragmentation
- Equip and inform residents and landowners
By visualizing ecological systems, we can make better decisions for biodiversity, climate resilience, and community well-being.
Our team has put together various interactive and downloadable maps to help you understand the land, water, wildlife, and communities that make up this globally significant region.
The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region sits at the meeting point of the Precambrian Shield (often called the ‘Canadian Shield’) and the St. Lawrence River — an internationally recognized landscape of forests, wetlands, rivers, and vibrant communities. It’s boundaries intersect with the overlapping territories of the Algonquin and Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) people of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.
We’ve prepared a series of maps to help you explore:
- The boundaries and zones of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region
- Ecological corridors and natural heritage features
- Watersheds and landscape types
- Communities, parks, and protected areas
We’ve designed these tools to help you understand the region and your place within it.
Where Is the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region?
The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region stretches from Brockville to Kingston along the St. Lawrence River and north to Westport. It forms a critical ecological connection between Algonquin Park and the Adirondack Mountains, or the A2A corridor. We work closely with the A2A Collaborative on building awareness and connectivity between these areas.
Designated by UNESCO in 2002, the region includes:
- Thousands of lakes and wetlands
- Five forest regions
- Globally significant wildlife habitat
- Rural and urban communities
- Public and private lands
An essential part of the UNESCO biosphere designation is the presence of Core protected areas, shown in darker green and buffer areas shown in lighter green. The core protected areas of the FAB Region include Frontenac and Charleston Lake Provincial Parks, Queen’s University Biological Station, and the Thousand Islands National Park.
Not sure if you’re in the biosphere region? Use our interactive map below to zoom in and find your location.
What Makes the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region so Significant?
The Frontenac Arch is a important ecological connection within the continental Eastern Wildway. There are only 2 or 3 potential paths across the St Lawrence River, making habitat connections between the southern United States and Eastern Canada. The only one in Ontario is the Frontenac Arch.
The ability for wildlife to move freely at this pinch point is a critical part of ecological connectivity and essential to species’ ability to adapt to a changing climate and other human disturbances. Ecological connectivity is the flow of natural processes such as pollination, seed dispersal, water movement, and animal migration. It is the unimpeded movement of species that is essential for their long term survival because it allows them to access food, water, breeding and wintering areas, adapt to climate change and other human disturbances, and maintain genetic diversity through gene flow.
This convergence of corridors, forest types and ecosystems is what makes the Frontenac Arch one of the most biologically rich places in Canada. Explore the FAB Region and the A2A Corridor with our detailed maps below.
The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network is grateful to As the Crow Flies cARTography for helping us tell the story of the FAB Region through these maps, and we acknowledge that they were made possible through generous funding by the Government of Canada / Parks Canada.
How to Use Our Interactive Map
Our main map is powered by ArcGIS and allows you to explore layers of ecological and geographic information. For the best experience, open the map in its own window by clicking “view our map” to launch the full map viewer. Opening the map separately makes it easier to zoom, search, and explore all available layers. Here’s how to get started:
Zoom & Pan
Use your mouse or touchpad to zoom in and explore specific features and locations.
Turn Layers On & Off
Select “Layers” from the menu on the left for a list of items you can toggle such as Ecological corridors, Land cover types, watersheds, protected areas and more!
Mobile Friendly
Maps can be viewed on mobile devices, though desktop provides the best experience.
Watch Our Tutorial
Click here or the video below to have our Conservation Project Manager walk you through using the web map.
Thank you to our friend and colleague, Craig Onafrychuk from the Baxter Creek Watershed Alliance, for all his support in getting our interactive web map fully functional and updated.
Regional Maps by Type
The following maps highlight different themes within the FAB Region. If you are looking for something specific not listed here, or are having issues with downloading or interpretting any of these maps, please contact us at info@fabn.ca.
Pre-Set Layers within our Interactive Map
Static Maps
Other Mapping Resources
You can access additional Indigenous Mapping resources through our Ecological Corridors project library, which includes a recording of the Ethical Space and Indigenous Mapping webinar.
Looking for a missing map?
We welcome your feedback on the maps we offer and suggestions for additional maps and mapping resources. For more information about our maps, and support with interpretation, you can contact us at info@fabn.ca.
This work was made possible through the generous support of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
