Fostering ecosystem function through an international public–private partnership: a case study of wildlife mitigation measures along the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Abstract

The establishment of protected areas is seen as one solution to preserve remaining components of natural ecosystems. However, the preservation role of protected areas may conflict with human activities such as industrial development and tourism. Canada's Banff National Park (BNP) hosts about 3 million visitors per year, has approximately 8000 full-time residents, and is bisected by nationally significant rail and road transportation routes. The upgrading of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) from two to four lanes within BNP has highlighted the park's conflicting roles. The TCH in BNP has been subject to pioneering efforts to reduce its negative effects on wildlife mortality and movement. Over 12 years of monitoring, BNP's highway mitigation measures have made this stretch of road one of the most intensely studied in the world. Both adaptive management and flexible institutional arrangements made this effort possible. The results of monitoring studies are being shared with a broad audience, from transportation practitioners and ecologists to the general public and school children. By learning more about the success of highway mitigation, a community of informed citizens is taking shape and becoming active in their understanding of nature and science.