Environment committee  We'll have to follow up on it in writing, but in one area particularly, migratory birds, we've just completed over 20 or so bird conservation area plans. We can certainly provide you with them. They are all laid out on the website, and you can access them. Increasingly, as our mandate includes not just migratory birds but also species at risk, recent work within the Canadian wildlife service is looking at how we look at both preventing species becoming species at risk, but also addressing the areas where the species are at risk, and looking at those areas to focus our efforts.

Environment committee  I'll give an overview, and then I'll ask Bob to get into some of the specifics. There is an IUCN classification system that we use to classify them. We are in the process of counting the various types of protected areas, and some are more protected than others. Yes, we put this all together in a big database and have good accounting.

Environment committee  Thank you very much. It is a bit of an overview for the rest of them. I know that my colleagues from DFO and Parks Canada would join me in emphasizing the importance of involvement by indigenous governments and communities that have been integral to the establishment and management of many protected areas.

Environment committee  Good morning. My name is Sue Milburn-Hopwood, I am the acting assistant deputy minister for the Canadian wildlife service. We oversee Environment and Climate Change Canada’s work on biodiversity and manage the department’s protected areas program. Bob McLean, who is with me today, is the director general of assessment and regulatory affairs for the Canadian wildlife service, and until recent organizational changes, he was responsible for the Canadian wildlife service’s work on biodiversity goals and targets, as well as our protected areas program.