About the CDC

The Manitoba Conservation Data Centre (MBCDC) is a storehouse of information on Manitoba’s biodiversity – its plant and animal species, as well as its natural plant communities. The MBCDC functions under the umbrella of NatureServe and NatureServe Canada, a network of 75 similar centres throughout Canada, the United States and Latin America. This network, along with a central team of scientists, maintains science-based information about the biodiversity of the western hemisphere.

The MBCDC has developed lists of plant and animal species and plant communities, also known as elements of biodiversity, found in Manitoba. MBCDC assigns each of these elements a conservation status rank, based on how rare the species or community is in Manitoba, then collects detailed information on where the provincially rare elements have been found. These locations, known as element occurrences, are mapped in a geographic information system (GIS) and entered into a species and plant community database. The MBCDC uses a scientifically and empirically defined methodology and rigorous standards common to all CDC’s throughout the network. The information has many uses, including conservation and development planning, and is made available to government, the private sector, and the public.

The MBCDC was established in July 1994 through a partnership between The Manitoba Museum, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), and Manitoba Natural Resources (now Manitoba Conservation). The MBCDC is currently part of the Biodiversity Conservation Section of the Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch.

For further information, submit an information request or contact us by phone, fax, mail or email.