Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
A KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM FOR REDUCING UNCERTAINTY
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roaCTiVe
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anagemenT
Given.the.potential.complexity.and.unpredictability.of.ecological.change.in.Canada's.
northern. national. parks,. and. the. need. for. local. information,. it. is. imperative. that. we.
develop.a.knowledge.system.for.collecting,.interpreting,.and.communicating.this.change.
at.the.scale.of.individual.parks..Park.managers.need.to.understand.as.early.as.possible.
how. park. ecosystems. are. changing,. and. require. clear. and. timely. information. on. the.
nature,.magnitude,.and.scale.of.ecological.change.in.order.to.make.informed.and.pro-
active. decisions.. What,. where,. and. how. are. park. ecosystems. changing?. How. rapidly.
are.these.changes.occurring?.What.environmental.and.biological.factors.are.controlling.
these.changes?.What.are.the.implications.for.subsistence.lifestyles.and.cultural.practices.
of.indigenous.people,.and.for.visitor.experience.and.education,.other.park.values,.park.
infrastructure,.and.public.safety?.Are.there.cost-effective.actions.that.can.be.taken.to.
stop,.slow,.or.divert.these.changes?.What.are.the.consequences.of.taking.no.action?
To.provide.this.information,.a.proactive.adaptive.management.approach.is.pro-
posed. (Figure 10.3). that. incorporates. updated. and. useful. ecosystem. inventories,.
well-designed.condition.and.effectiveness.monitoring,.management-directed.scien-
tiic.research,.forecasting.models.to.estimate.rates.of.change,.and.clear.communi-
cation. of. science. results. to. park. managers.. Such. an. approach. is. not. new. and. has.
been.put.forward.as.the.key.to.science-based.ecosystem.management.for.many.years.
(Holling.1978;.Gunderson.et.al..1995)..The.fundamental.purpose.of.the.approach.is.
to. systematically. and. strategically. record. and. interpret. ongoing. ecological. change.
and.to.provide.park.managers.with.a.range.of.potential.responses,.with.associated.
risks.of.acting.or.not.acting.in.a.given.situation.
Two. of. the. foundational. steps. to. develop. locally. based. knowledge. systems.
(Figure 10.3). are. presently. being. developed. by. Parks. Canada:. useful. and. updated.
dynamic. ecosystem. inventories. for. all. northern. national. parks,. and. effective. park.
EI.monitoring.programs..These.developing.initiatives.and.other.components.of.the.
proposed.knowledge.system.are.described.in.the.following.
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ased
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CologiCal
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nVenTories
A. irst. step. for. understanding,. describing,. and. communicating. the. ecological.
integrity. of. a. protected. area. is. an. ecological. inventory. that. captures. key. elements.
of.park.biodiversity.in.the.context.of.the.ecological.processes.that.control.the.dis-
tribution,. productivity,. and. character. of. park. ecosystems.. The. completion. of. such.
an. inventory. for. all. northern. national. parks. is. fundamental. to. establishing. useful.
and.effective.park-monitoring.programs,.and.for.many.other.management.applica-
tions..Through.the.Canadian.contribution.to.the.International.Polar.Year.Program.
(http://www.ipycanada.ca/),. Parks. Canada. is. developing. a. cost-effective. terrestrial.
ecological.inventory.method.(Fraser.et.al.,.submitted).that.is.based.on.the.ecotype.
as.the.fundamental.mapping.unit.and.uses.mapping.concepts.and.methods.related.to.
ecological.inventory.systems.well.established.in.southern.Canada.(RIC.1998,.2000;.
Sims.et.al..1996).
