Biodiversity In Canada Research Articles

The alarming state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada

Little is known about the current state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, one of the countries with the greatest amount of surface waters in the world. To address this knowledge gap, we compiled a list of all available assessments of conservation status for freshwater species (over 3000 taxa) and further evaluated the overall status of six distinct taxonomic groups, focusing on organisms reliant on fresh waters (i.e., aquatic plants, invertebrates (with a focus on freshwater mussels), fishes, herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), birds, and mammals). Overall, 11.7% of all freshwater species of plants and animals assessed were found to be “at risk” (i.e., listed as “Threatened”, “Endangered”, or “Extirpated”) and 17.9% identified as “Special Concern”. We found that 37.9% of species lacked sufficient data to enable their status to be assessed. Data gaps in Canada’s assessment of its freshwater species were most prevalent in invertebrates (excluding freshwater mussels). Given the alarming state of freshwater biodiversity in Canada, we conclude by providing recommendations that focus on evaluating temporal trends and informing conservation actions.

Key information needs to move from knowledge to action for biodiversity conservation in Canada

To address the ongoing global biodiversity crisis, conservation approaches must be underpinned by robust information. Canada is uniquely positioned to contribute to meeting global biodiversity targets, with some of the world's largest remaining intact ecosystems, and a commitment to co-application of Indigenous ways of knowing alongside scientific, socioeconomic, and other approaches. We elicited input from experts across a range of disciplines to identify the key information needed to advance policy and management actions to conserve biodiversity in Canada. Experts concluded that, in many cases, a lack of information is not the major barrier to biodiversity conservation; instead, mechanisms to translate information into action are most urgently needed. Recognizing multiple ways of knowing, especially Indigenous knowledge systems, will be critical to support the transformative change needed to conserve biodiversity at a national scale. Collaboration among natural, social and data scientists can facilitate social change and biodiversity information management. Experts identified 50 priority information needs which emphasize the importance of (i) reviewing policies and actions and disseminating lessons learned from successes and failures; (ii) better understanding mechanisms to build public support; (iii) improving, in specific instances, understanding of the status and trends of habitats, species, ecosystems, and threats for planning and management; and (iv) mobilizing biodiversity information. Through the Convention on Biological Diversity, the global community has resolved to “live in harmony with nature”; through our Canadian case-study, we conclude that the most pressing need to address this resolution is an improved understanding of how to move from conservation knowledge to conservation action.

Systematic review of documented Indigenous Knowledge of freshwater biodiversity in the circumpolar Arctic

Abstract Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic have for millennia relied on freshwaters for drinking water and freshwater species that comprise important subsistence harvests, which promotes a strong connection to the land and unique understanding of organisms and ecosystem processes and changes. Despite the importance of freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem services to Arctic Indigenous communities, there have been limited attempts to summarise available Indigenous Knowledge (IK) regarding Arctic freshwater systems and to understand how conservation can benefit from this knowledge base. This paper presents a systematic review of literature documenting circumpolar Arctic IK with a focus on freshwater biodiversity in Canada, Greenland, Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, and Finland), Russia, and the U.S.A. (Alaska). Standardised search terms and methodologies were used to locate relevant documents using Google Scholar and Google Advanced search engines. Thematic coding was used to identify freshwater biodiversity themes within the identified documents. Documented IK of freshwater biodiversity was found from all five geographic regions and included data on both species presence and habitat changes with potential to affect biodiversity. Canada had the highest number of relevant documents (n = 127), followed by the U.S.A. (Alaska; n = 116), Fennoscandia (n = 38), Russia (n = 27), and Greenland (n = 5). The number of relevant documents with IK published per year was highest in most recent years, from 2010 onwards, in all geographic regions. Fish represented the highest number of faunal observations with 59 species observed, approximately half of which were Salmonidae (29 species). Local‐scale assessment of fish diversity found observations of the highest number of species (11–25) in Alaska, and individual observations of 6–10 species were found throughout Alaska, mainland areas of Canada, and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Documented IK also contributed new information on historical fish diversity and indicated local‐scale loss or gain of species. Such information is of vital importance to provide long‐term records of fish composition and abundance, especially when this information does not exist in other knowledge bases such as western science datasets. Indigenous Knowledge included observations of changes in freshwater and terrestrial habitat associated with a warming climate, such as: decreasing water levels and more draining/drying of lakes and rivers, a shorter period of ice cover (late freeze and early break‐up), decreasing ice thickness, and increasing occurrence of permafrost thaw and eroding banks. Such observations by those who actively rely on Arctic freshwater ecosystem services are important because they signify that change is occurring and that action is needed to mitigate the impacts on freshwater habitats and the biodiversity therein. This study demonstrates that previously documented IK provides valuable information towards determining freshwater biodiversity baselines and patterns of change in the circumpolar Arctic. However, these results do not sufficiently cover the depth and breadth of IK on freshwater biodiversity and ecology held by Indigenous communities. Further work incorporating Indigenous worldviews around freshwater ecology would provide context to the knowledge collected and a deeper understanding of Arctic circumpolar freshwater environments.

Horizon scan of conservation issues for inland waters in Canada

Horizon scanning is a systematic approach increasingly used to explore emerging trends, issues, opportunities, and threats in conservation. We present the results from one such exercise aimed at identifying emerging issues that could have important scientific, social, technological, and managerial implications for the conservation of inland waters in Canada in the proximate future. We recognized six opportunities and nine challenges, for which we provide research implications and policy options, such that scientists, policy makers, and the Canadian society as a whole can prepare for a potential growth in each of the topic areas we identified. The issues spanned a broad range of topics, from recognizing the opportunities and challenges of community-enabled science and the need to consider the legal rights of nature, to the likely increase of pharmaceuticals in wastewater due to an aging population. These issues represent a first baseline that could help decision makers identify and prioritize efforts while simultaneously stimulate new research avenues. We hope our horizon scan will pave the way for similar exercises related to the conservation of biodiversity in Canada.

Underprotected Marine Protected Areas in a Global Biodiversity Hotspot

Summary Ocean health is critical for human well-being but is threatened by multiple stressors. Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed to protect 10% of their waters by 2020. The scientific evidence supporting the use of marine protected areas (MPAs) to conserve biodiversity stems primarily from knowledge on fully protected areas, but most of what is being established is partially protected. Here, we assess the protection levels of the 1,062 Mediterranean MPAs. While 6.01% of the Mediterranean is covered by protection, 95% of this area shows no difference between the regulations imposed inside the MPAs compared with those outside. Full and high levels of protection, the most effective for biodiversity conservation, represent only 0.23% of the basin and are unevenly distributed across political boundaries and eco-regions. Our current efforts are insufficient at managing human uses of nature at sea, and protection levels should be increased to deliver tangible benefits for biodiversity conservation.

Are we accurately estimating the potential role of pollution in the decline of species at risk in Canada?

Pollution is a pervasive, albeit often invisible, threat to biodiversity in Canada. Currently, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) relies on expert opinion to assess the scope (i.e., the proportion of a species’ population that may be affected) of pollution to species at risk. Here, we describe a spatially explicit, quantitative method for assessing the scope of pollution as a threat to species at risk in Canada. Using this method, we quantified the geographic co-occurrence of 488 terrestrial and freshwater species and pollution sources and determined that, on average, 57% of the mapped occurrences of each species at risk co-occurred with at least one pollution source. Furthermore, we found a weak correlation between the scope of the threat of pollution as assessed by COSEWIC expert panels and the geographic overlap of species occurrences and pollution sources that we determined with our quantitative method. Experts frequently identified scope of pollution as absent or negligible even for species with extensive co-occurrence with pollution sources, especially vascular plants. Clearly, a quantitative approach is needed to make accurate estimates of the scope of pollution as a threat to species at risk in Canada.

How the race to achieve Aichi Target 11 could jeopardize the effective conservation of biodiversity in Canada and beyond

In 2010 Parties to the United Nations (UN) Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss within a decade by achieving 20 objectives that are commonly known as the Aichi Targets. This article explores aspects of Canada's work on one of the few quantified targets (Target 11), which is intended to improve the status of biodiversity through protected areas (PAs) and a new type of designation, “other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs). In a faltering attempt to reach its Aichi Target 11 commitments by 2020, some Canadian jurisdictions have elected to focus more on coverage (quantity) and less on ecological integrity (quality), which has significant ramifications for long-term success of biodiversity conservation. For example, a jurisdiction responsible for marine conservation has re-designated regulated fishery closures as ‘marine refuges’ under the auspices of an OECM designation, which brings into question the real intent of Canada's commitment to the CBD and its own Biodiversity Strategy. Ambiguous language used to define and prescribe application of OECMs is being used as the basis for a revisionist paradigm that promises to undermine national and international conservation standards, fracture partnerships, and jeopardize the integrity of Canada's PA network. Canada must reject half measures that will result in ineffective or unintended perverse conservation outcomes, and focus on a post-2020 agenda that prioritizes conservation outcomes, management effectiveness, and the implementation of accountability measures within and between jurisdictions and by the Secretariat of the CBD.

Conservation of biodiversity in Canada and Japan : Different policies and different effectiveness

Conservation of biodiversity in Canada and Japan : Different policies and different effectiveness

An updated assessment of human activities, the environment, and freshwater fish biodiversity in Canada

Changes in resource development and expansions of urban centres suggest that the intensity and types of anthropogenic stressors affecting Canada’s watersheds are changing. Chu et al. (2003) integrated indices of freshwater fish biodiversity, environmental conditions, and anthropogenic stress to identify priority watersheds for conservation and management. Here, we update those indices using recent climate and census data to assess changes through time. We also applied different conservation and management scenarios to evaluate the robustness of our prioritization approach. Between time periods, the environmental and stress indices expanded northward because of warmer temperatures at higher latitudes and more intense anthropogenic stress in the northern regions of the provinces. Conservation priorities increased in northern British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario but decreased in southern British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and south-central Quebec. Under multiple scenarios, conservation priorities were consistently highest in British Columbia, the Maritimes, southern Ontario, and southern Quebec. Future research to refine this assessment should focus on developing a nationwide georeferenced assessment of freshwater fisheries stress, quantifying spatial changes in the stressors, and evaluating the sensitivity of each index to the weighting of the individual variables. This work highlights the necessity for conservation and management strategies in Canada to keep pace with changing patterns in climate and human activities.

Predicting Climate Change Impacts to the Canadian Boreal Forest

Climate change is expected to alter temperature, precipitation, and seasonality with potentially acute impacts on Canada’s boreal. In this research we predicted future spatial distributions of biodiversity in Canada’s boreal for 2020, 2050, and 2080 using indirect indicators derived from remote sensing and based on vegetation productivity. Vegetation productivity indices, representing annual amounts and variability of greenness, have been shown to relate to tree and wildlife richness in Canada’s boreal. Relationships between historical satellite-derived productivity and climate data were applied to modelled scenarios of future climate to predict and map potential future vegetation productivity for 592 regions across Canada. Results indicated that the pattern of vegetation productivity will become more homogenous, particularly west of Hudson Bay. We expect climate change to impact biodiversity along north/south gradients and by 2080 vegetation distributions will be dominated by processes of seasonality in the north and a combination of cumulative greenness and minimum cover in the south. The Hudson Plains, which host the world’s largest and most contiguous wetland, are predicted to experience less seasonality and more greenness. The spatial distribution of predicted trends in vegetation productivity was emphasized over absolute values, in order to support regional biodiversity assessments and conservation planning.

Cover type, environmental characteristics, and conservation of terrestrial gastropod diversity in boreal mixedwood forests

Terrestrial gastropods are important decomposers, herbivores, and prey items in forest systems and constitute a poorly understood element of forest biodiversity in Canada. We sampled terrestrial gastropod assemblages in northwestern Alberta, Canada, using board traps and forest floor sampling to examine their association with forest composition, structure, and environment (forest floor depth and moisture, coarse woody debris, understory vegetation cover) in four boreal mixedwood cover types: broadleaf (deciduous) dominated (DDOM), broadleaf (deciduous) dominated with coniferous understory (DDOMU), mixed conifer and broadleaf (MX), and conifer dominated (CDOM). The highest total gastropod abundance and richness occurred in the DDOM cover type. Furthermore, DDOM assemblages accumulated species more quickly (with sampling effort) and supported more gastropod species at higher levels of dominance than found in other cover types. The mix of coniferous and broadleaved trees influenced gastropod distributions within stands; however, associations observed between gastropod species and tree species differed among cover types, suggesting complex ecological contingency. For example, conifer basal area was an important driver of gastropod assemblage in DDOM and DDOMU forests, whereas broadleaf basal area was the most important driver in the CDOM forest type. We conclude that tree species mixture at a variety of scales sustains diversity of gastropod assemblages and that this understanding is significant for conservation of this taxon on mixedwood boreal forest landscapes.

Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on aquatic biodiversity in Canada’s boreal zone

Conservation efforts to sustain water resources and aquatic biodiversity in boreal watersheds will require reliable information on the recent status of various indicator species and an improved understanding of the risks to aquatic biodiversity posed by resource development activities. We reviewed the recent state of knowledge on the responses of aquatic biodiversity to forest management, pulp and paper mill effluents, hydroelectric impoundments, mining of minerals and metals, oil sands extractions, and peat mining and offer a prognosis for aquatic biodiversity under each of these environmental stressors. Despite the prevalence of natural resource development in Canada’s largest forest ecosystem, there was a limited amount of published literature on the effects of many of the disturbance types on various indicators of aquatic biodiversity, making it difficult to produce a current and reliable status assessment. Across most of the boreal zone, there is a lack of coordinated, consistent data collection for many of the bioindicators and disturbance types discussed in this review. Forecasting the future state of aquatic biodiversity across the boreal zone is challenged by increasing natural resource development and its interactions with other stressors, especially climate change. The cumulative effects of multiple stressors coupled with resource development activities in boreal watersheds remain largely unknown. More importantly, the ecological thresholds for these cumulative effects (that is, the point at which aquatic ecosystems and their biodiversity cannot recover to a desired state within a reasonable time frame) are also unknown and remain gaps in our knowledge. The recent literature identifies a number of risks to aquatic biodiversity at local (tens of square kilometres) to regional (hundreds of square kilometres) scales associated with natural resource development. There are indications that many of these risks can be minimized by “greener” technologies for resource development and reclamation, practical conservation planning and regulation, and increased stewardship in watershed management, although the effectiveness of many of these measures cannot yet be assessed from the published literature.

Canada’s international and national commitments to sustain marine biodiversity1This manuscript is a companion paper to Hutchings et al. (doi:10.1139/a2012-011) and Hutchings et al. (doi:10.1139/er-2012-0049) also appearing in this issue. These three papers comprise an edited version of a February 2012 Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel Report.

Canada has made numerous international and national commitments to sustain marine biodiversity. International commitments include the implementation of ecosystem-based management, the establishment a network of marine protected areas, and the restoration of commercially exploited fish stocks. However, the international commitments tend to be quite general in nature with the precise governance implications of key principles, such as precaution and the ecosystem approach, being open to interpretation, thus leaving considerable room for discretion in implementation. Consequently, a plethora of soft law documents has emerged to provide more specific guidance to decision-makers and progressively develop international law and policy. Nationally, Canada has embraced a long list of commitments that are supportive of sustaining marine biodiversity through legislation and numerous policy-related documents. Nonetheless, Canada has left many of these commitments unfulfilled or inadequately fulfilled, such as (i) the development of integrated management plans for coastal and marine waters, (ii) the implementation of the precautionary approach for Canada’s fisheries, and (iii) the establishment of recovery strategies and identification of critical habitat for species at risk. Although the goal of effective protection of marine biodiversity in Canada appears to be guided by international and national commitments, there remains a clear need to fully implement, operationalize, and strengthen these commitments as articulated in the Oceans Act, fisheries management-related policies, the Species at Risk Act, and others.

Is Canada fulfilling its obligations to sustain marine biodiversity? A summary review, conclusions, and recommendations1This manuscript is a companion paper to Hutchings et al. (doi:10.1139/a2012-011) and VanderZwaag et al. (doi:10.1139/a2012-013) also appearing in this issue. These three papers comprise an edited version of a February 2012 Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel Report.

Canada has made numerous national and international commitments to sustain marine biodiversity. Given current and potential threats to biodiversity from climate change, fisheries, and aquaculture, we provide a summary review of Canada’s progress in fulfilling its obligations to protect, conserve, recover, and responsibly exploit marine biodiversity. We conclude that Canada has made little substantive progress, when compared to most developed nations, in meeting its biodiversity commitments. Much of Canada’s policy and rhetoric has not been operationalised, leaving many of the country’s national and international obligations unfulfilled in some key areas, such as the establishment of marine protected areas and incorporation of the precautionary approach to fisheries management. We conclude that regulatory conflict within Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the absolute discretion exercised by the national Minister of Fisheries and Oceans contribute significantly to an unduly slow rate of policy and statute implementation. We recommend new approaches and measures to sustain Canadian marine biodiversity and new research initiatives to support scientific advice to decision-makers. Many recommendations focus on management actions required to meet existing commitments to biodiversity conservation. Overall, we conclude that the most effective strategy is to protect existing biological diversity and to rebuild depleted populations and species to restore natural diversity. By improving and protecting the biodiversity in Canada’s oceans, such a strategy will restore the natural resilience of Canada’s ocean ecosystems to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change and other anthropogenic activities with consequent long-term benefits for food security and social and economic well-being.

Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe): An Academic–Government Partnership to Develop Scientific Guidelines for Conservation and Sustainable Usage of Marine Biodiversity

ABSTRACTThe Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe) research program formed to unite leading academic and government researchers with managers from Canada's national resource agencies to address an urgent need for better scientific information on marine biodiversity in Canada's Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic waters. Specifically, the network is producing diverse scientific products to inform policy commitments in conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity resources. A common disconnect between science‐driven research and policy application results in a dearth of science information relevant to specific decisions that cannot wait for knowledge to accumulate. To narrow this gap, CHONe research structures around three interlinking and integrated themes of marine biodiversity, ecosystem function, and population connectivity. CHONe products span from baseline maps, databases, and barcodes as tools to understand processes and monitor future change; spatial and temporal predictive tools to maximize knowledge on biodiversity patterns; analytical and sampling tools to characterize and assess biodiversity and habitat relationships, decision‐making frameworks for sustainable, integrated ocean management; new findings on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relationships; to specific advice, data input, models, and frameworks for current ocean planning efforts.

Present taxonomic work on Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in Canada: progress against all odds

Present taxonomic work on Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in Canada: progress against all odds

Intensive forest biomass harvesting and biodiversity in Canada: A summary of relevant issues

Increasing interest in renewable fuels inspired a three-day workshop in Toronto in February 2008, entitled: The Scientific Foundation for Sustainable Forest Biomass Harvesting Guidelines and Policy. In this paper, we summarized the biodiversity-focused content of the workshop, including potential implications of intensification of biomass removal on biodiversity, knowledge gaps identified by workshop participants, and implications for policy development. Woody debris represents an important habitat resource for a wide variety of forest organisms, and the presence and continued supply of fresh to highly decayed dead wood represents a key concern in managed forest systems. A key challenge in sustainable forests management is to determine to what extent biomass harvests can increase fibre use while sustaining biodiversity, its functions, and the broad suite of ecosystem services that it provides. For knowledge-based planning and policy development, researchers must provide complex information to policy-makers and forest managers in a clear, effective way. In particular, full life-cycle analysis of intensive forest biomass harvesting taking into account environmental consequences is needed to inform sound evidence-based policy and decision-making. In the absence of complete scientific information, forest managers and decision-makers are well-advised to proceed with caution within a well-developed adaptive management framework.

Flagship Species – Flagship Problems: recovery of species at risk and the conservation of biodiversity in Canada1This introduction is part of the virtual symposium “Flagship Species – Flagship Problems” that deals with ecology, biodiversity and management issues, and climate impacts on species at risk and of Canadian importance, including the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Piping Plover

This is an Introduction to a series of review articles, entitled Flagship Species – Flagship Problems, that identify, review, and address key problems, solutions, and contradictions linked to conservation and recovery of four iconic species at risk in Canada (polar bear, Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774; Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., 1758; Piping Plover. Charadrius melodus Ord, 1824; caribou, Rangifer tarandus (L., 1758)), as well as one review article dealing with the more systemic impacts of habitat loss and degradation. The reviews are cast in the context of the broader challenge of maintaining and restoring biodiversity.

A new approach to forest biodiversity monitoring in Canada

Society increasingly asks forestry agencies to consider maintenance of biodiversity alongside tree growth and wood supply when managing forests. In this paper we explore the mechanisms that managers currently have available to meet this expectation. When assessing three key indicators (trends in ecosystem and habitat extent, trends in distribution and abundance of species, and changes in status of threatened species), we found that managers lack the information for consistent, scientifically rigorous, unbiased reporting on the impact of their management on biodiversity in Canada. We outline the key characteristics of a controversial biodiversity monitoring approach that is taxonomically broad and cumulative-effects oriented. We argue that programs designed specifically to monitor biodiversity, although sometimes criticized as inefficient and ineffective, are statistically and biologically robust in the long term, especially compared to the status quo. Given the nature of biodiversity and the diversity of human impacts, if forest management agencies are sincere in their desire to manage biodiversity, they need to devote the same effort and scientific rigor used to monitor tree growth and harvest rates to develop standardized protocols and rigorous sampling designs for biodiversity monitoring. Federal and provincial governments, as well as the scientific community, will need to cooperate with and support forest managers in this new endeavour.

Protecting marine biodiversity in Canada: Adaptation options in the face of climate change

Climate change adds a significant stress to biodiversity in Canada, compounding the effects of continuing habitat loss and over-exploitation of natural resources. These cumulative threats to flora and fauna heighten the need for conservation strategies. Policy in the climate change area has focused on greenhouse gas mitigation, but the complementary response of adaptation must also be addressed as changing climate will have effects on biodiversity even if global emission targets are met. It is internationally recognized that protected area networks support the ability of ecosystems to cope with climate change. Natural ecosystems have greater resilience in the face of climate change impacts when additional stresses from industrial and commercial exploitation are reduced, and when species migrating to more suitable locations are facilitated through protected areas. Conservation as part of an adaptation policy is good insurance against the risk of species extinctions due to climate change. In Canada's biodiversity and conservation policies there is little evidence to date of explicit recognition of, or action on, climate change adaptation, especially in the oceans. In Canada's oceans, there is an urgent need to create comprehensive networks of large protected areas to assist in buffering the effects of climate change. While some marine protected areas have been established in Canada, their sufficiency and their ability to facilitate connections between them needs to be examined in light of climate change. Marine ecosystems are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and this is compounded by the many stresses they already face from overharvesting, habitat destruction, alien species, and pollution. Minimizing these chronic stresses and employing ecosystem based management approaches are key strategies to reducing the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems in Canada.