This dataset depicts the Level I ecological regions of North America, as compiled by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). These draft files of of Level I, II, and III ecological regions of North America are an update and revision of files developed by Canada, the United States, and Mexico in the late 1990's in a cooperative project for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC 1997). The CEC was created under the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts and promote the effective enforcement of environmental law. The Agreement complements the environmental provisions established in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). These revised ecological regions were developed in a meeting between representatives of the three nations and CEC in April 2006 in Newport, Oregon. They are considered draft and subject to further refinements.

The citation for the report describing these ecological regions is: Commission for Environmental Cooperation. 1997. Ecological regions of North America: toward a common perspective. Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 71pp.