The Parks Canada Program for Monitoring Ecological Integrity

1
The Parks Canada Program for Monitoring
Ecological Integrity
EMAN Nearshore Marine Monitoring Workshop Feb.
2006 (Arctic Session)

• Dan Kehler
• Monitoring Ecologist
• Parks Canada
• Atlantic Service Centre
• kehler_at_pc.gc.ca

2
Why monitor?

• Monitoring tells us the
• status (where are we?)
• trend (where are we going?)
• of ecological integrity.

3
Parks Canada has a mandate to protect ecological
integrity

• From the Canada National Parks Act, ecological
  integrity is
• characteristic of its natural region and likely
  to persist
• abiotic components
• native biological communities
• ecological processes

4
Why monitor in parks?

• Concern about the state of the natural
  environment at two levels
• Parks have a mandate to preserve their ecological
  integrity.
• Parks serve as a benchmarks for changes to the
  greater ecosystem.

5
Bioregions standardization is a good thing!

• Shared protocols
• Data management

6
Assessing ecosystem ecological integrity
Pacific Coast Quebec-Atlantic The
North Estuaries Coastal
Coastal Shorelines
Marine
Marine Intertidal Subtidal
7
We monitor to report
Marine Ecosystem
8
We monitor to report
Marine Ecosystem

• Monitor to inform park decision makers
• Monitor to report to the Canadian public

9
Idealized Measure Structure
Thousands of Arctic Cod
125
150
75
50
0
EI impaired
concerned
High EI
thresholds
thresholds
target
10
What to Monitor?
11
Ecological integrity Framework
Biodiversity
Process and Function
Stressors

12
Coastal Ecosystem Model
13
Designing an arctic nearshore monitoring program
14
Monitoring program Key elements

• Scientifically credible
• Early warning
• Integrated
• Affordable

15
1. Scientifically Credible

• Ask the right questions
• use science
• assess current future threats
• Good study design
• e.g. randomized site location
• Take enough samples to answer the question
• nature is variable sample, sample, sample

16
2. Early warning

• Monitoring should provide early warning of
  negative changes
• Choose measures that will anticipate impacts to
  ecological integrity.
• Point of monitoring is not to write an obituary
  for ecological integrity.

17
3. Integrated

• Use common measures across parks
• Use common measures with partners
• Use conceptually linked measures
• Assess trends at local, regional and national
  levels

18
4. Affordable

• Arctic environment poses additional challenges
• Need to be creative
• Remote censing
• Partners

19
What to monitor in the north?A first crack

• By parks
• Fish
• Benthos
• With partners
• Marine mammals (DFO, communities)
• Coastal change (Geological Survey of Canada)
• Seabirds (Canadian Wildlife Service)
• Sea Ice (Canadian Ice Service)

20
Working together

• Parks Canada is a resource for community-based
  monitoring
• Full time monitoring ecologists
• Lots of monitoring expertise
• Historical reference data
• Actively seeking partners to expand monitoring
  beyond parks

Call us!
21
(No Transcript)