Ecological Integrity Monitoring in National Parks

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Ecological Integrity Monitoring in National Parks
Josh Van Wieren St. Lawrence Islands National park
high stress
low stress
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Overview

• Parks Canada Agency EI Monitoring Program
• St. Lawrence Islands National Park (SLINP)
• SLINP EI Monitoring Program
• Forest Measures at SLINP
• Wetland Measures at SLINP
• Recommendations

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Overview

• Parks Canada Agency EI Monitoring Program
• St. Lawrence Islands National Park (SLINP)
• SLINP EI Monitoring Program
• Forest Measures at SLINP
• Wetland Measures at SLINP
• Recommendations

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Ecological Integrity

• Ecological Integrity is 1 Priority of PCA
• EI Panel stresses outside the park
• Ecological integrity means, with respect to
  a Park, a condition that is determined to be
  characteristic of its natural region and likely
  to persist, including abiotic components and the
  composition and abundance of native species and
  biological communities, rates of change and
  supporting processes (Parks Canada Act, 2001).

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Information Iceberg
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Measures to Indicators
example of set of indicators at a national park
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Reporting Scale
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Targets and Thresholds
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Program Requirements

• USEFUL
• Clear messages about the state of EI and the
  effectiveness of park management activities
• COMPREHENSIVE
• All major park ecosystems
• Scientifically robust methods
• Effectively synthesized and communicated
• SUSTAINABLE
• Sustainable in the long-term financial and human
  resources
• Can be carried out with existing capacities

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Overview

• Parks Canada Agency EI Monitoring Program
• St. Lawrence Islands National Park EI Monitoring
  Program
• SLINP EI Monitoring Program
• Forest Measures at SLINP
• Wetland Measures at SLINP
• Recommendations

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St. Lawrence Islands National Park

• Small

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St. Lawrence Islands National Park

• Small
• Fragmented

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St. Lawrence Islands National Park

• Small
• Fragmented
• High Visitor Density 7844\ km2

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St. Lawrence Islands National Park

• Small
• Fragmented
• High Visitor Density 7844\ km2
• A2A Corridor

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St. Lawrence Islands National Park

• Small
• Fragmented
• High Visitor Density 7844\ km2
• A2A Corridor
• High Species Diversity

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Overview

• Parks Canada Agency EI Monitoring Program
• St. Lawrence Islands National Park (SLINP)
• SLINP EI Monitoring Program
• Forest Measures at SLINP
• Wetland Measures at SLINP
• Recommendations

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• Great Lakes Indicators
• (Ecosystems)
• 1. Forest
• 2. Wetland
• 3. Rivers / Streams
• 4. Lakes
• 5. Great Lakes Shore
• 6. Non-Forest

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EMAN Forest Plot Design
N
W
E
S
5m
4m
2m
Woody Debris
Salamander Abundance
20m x 20m Quadrat
Soil Decomposition
Woody Debris
Tree species, crown condition, stem defects, DBH,
height, status, health,
Avian Diversity
Lichen Diversity
Stand condition
25cm x 50 cm flip strip Worm inventory
2m x 2m Seedling regen.
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PCA EI Framework

• Measures
• terrestrial salamander abundance
• forest bird species richness
• tree species diversity
• decomposition
• regeneration / succession
• downed woody debris
• lichen diversity
• crown vigor
• fragmentation

EI Framework
BIODIVERSITY
PROCESSES
STRESSORS
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The Protocols

• Marsh birds call survey
• Macroinvertebrates jab and sweep
• Vegetation exotic species transect
• Amphibians visual encounter survey
• Water Quality 5 parameters tested
• Landscape GIS analysis

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The Protocols

• Marsh birds call survey
• Macroinvertebrates jab and sweep
• Vegetation exotic species transect
• Amphibians visual encounter survey
• Water Quality 5 parameters tested
• Landscape GIS analysis

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Marsh Monitoring Program Bird Survey

• Call survey
• Surveys conducted from one central point
• 2-10 minutes surveys per station
• Broadcast tape played for shy species
• Sampled between may 20 and July 5 (no less than
  10 days apart)

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Wetland Birds Monitored
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(Implementation begun in 2006)
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PCA EI Framework

• Measures
• amphibians species richness
• marsh bird species richness
• macroinvertebrates diversity
• landscape measures
• vegetation classes
• water quality
• exotic vegetation
• macroinvertebrate communities

EI Framework
BIODIVERSITY
PROCESSES
STRESSORS
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Overview

• Parks Canada Agency EI Monitoring Program
• St. Lawrence Islands National Park (SLINP)
• SLINP EI Monitoring Program
• Forest Measures at SLINP
• Wetland Measures at SLINP
• Recommendations

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Recommendations

• Know your Question

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Recommendations

• Know your Question
• Study design FIRST

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Recommendations

• Know your Question
• Study design FIRST
• Appropriate stress gradients

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Recommendations

• Know your Question
• Study design FIRST
• Appropriate stress gradients
• Use standardized protocols

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Recommendations

• Know your Question
• Study design FIRST
• Appropriate stress gradients
• Use standardized protocols
• SLINP EI monitoring program to monitor the
  Moraine???

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Thank you!
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