Parks Canada

The Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD) is a huge wetland complex which provides important habitat for wildlife and migrating waterfowl. Remote sensing provides a way to monitor this large and remote area. A combination of optical and radar (Radarsat) satellite imagery is used along with ground truthing...

This measure is based on muskrat aerial surveys in the Peace-Athabasca Delta (PAD), done in collaboration with local indigenous groups. Muskrats are a keystone species. They play a pivotal role in the food web of the PAD and as such are a good indicator of what is going on at higher trophic...

Monitoring the abundance diversity and distribution of birds in wetlands is used to track the effect of changes in hydrology and water quality related to human activities, flow regulation and climate change. Automated Recording Units (ARU) are deployed annually in the spring prior to the...

Snowshoe hare are a keystone species of the boreal forest with a 9-10 year population cycle. Hare densities are positively correlated with other species and can have significant impacts on vegetation during portions of their cycle, and may affect plant survival and composition on a local level....

The Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP) Bison Abundance database is a data set that documents numbers of bison observed during bison population estimate surveys conducted in WBNP. Survey methodology was standardized from 2002 to present. A strip transect survey allows for both minimum counts and a...

This bird monitoring program uses both traditional point counts and audio recordings to detect changes and trends in the relative abundance and community composition of a suite of forest bird species within Nahanni National Park Reserve. The intent of this study is to provide an early warning of...

Vegetation determines primary productivity as well as the diversity and types of habitat available to wildlife species. Alpine vegetation is sensitive to environmental and ecological changes. Park staff measure vascular plant diversity and the relative abundance of major plant life-forms in...

Forest ecosystems are a vital component of Nahanni National Park Reserve, covering approximately 80% of the park. Forest vegetation condition is currently a composite of three sub-measures: changes in (1) mature spruce stand growth rates, (2) mature spruce stand mortality rates, and (3)...

Monitoring pika occupancy and persistence over time will help to assess the impacts of climate change and the ecological integrity of Alpine Tundra ecosystems within Nahanni National Park Reserve. Annual visual counts of active hay piles by foot as well as auditory surveys are used to assess pika...

Remote sensing is used to monitor changes to the fire regime - including area burned and fire frequency; this is on an ongoing measure.

Caribou are a culturally important species to the Dene people, and traditional harvest is permitted in the national park reserve. The park monitors sustainability of the caribou populations by carrying out aerial surveys.

Invasive alien plants (such as Japanese knotweed, woodland angelica) are considered a serious problem for many protected areas. Fundy National Park reports on the presence of priority invasive species in grid cells; the grid overlays the entire national park.

At high densities, moose can do extensive damage to forests by over browsing - altering forest composition and forest succession. One moose may consume 30 kg of vegetation per day. Fundy National Park conducts aerial censuses of the moose population every 5 years.

Monitoring of the tree landscape permits detecting changes in habitat availability, forest productivity, forest health, and other ecosystem functions. The park uses permanent sample plots to monitor tree health, growth rate, and forest succession; remote sensing is used for landscape-scale...

The Harlequin duck is a species at risk that occurs in the Torngat Mountains National Park. Fast-flowing rivers and streams constitute its breeding habitat but it is known to forgo breeding when abundance of aquatic insects is low. A helicopter survey is conducted every five years in late- July...

The Torngat National Park monitors the growth and extent of dwarf birch along elevational transects at 5 locations to understand how shrubs are changing the tundra vegetation in the park and sub-arctic regions. Each transect contains 3 or 4 plots, at lower slope, mid slope, and upper slope....

Glaciers are an important water source in mountainous areas and significantly influence the hydrology of the watershed. Glaciers worldwide serve as indicators of climate change and have been decreasing in size at an accelerating rate since the mid-1980s. Data are collected from the Athabasca...

Both native and non-native fish inhabit many lakes and ponds across Jasper National Park. Prior to stocking practices in the past, many lakes in Jasper National Park did not have fish or had a low diversity fish assemblage. These past stocking practices have altered fish communities today....

Information regarding human-wildlife interactions in Jasper National Park is important to manage both human (eg. town residents, visitors) and wildlife needs (eg. area closures). Achieving this balance depends on data related, in part, on where animals have died or have been injured (eg highway,...

Jasper National Park uses a reference condition approach to monitor benthic macroinvertebrates in the stream and river ecosystems within the park. The taxonomic counts of the benthic macroinvertebrates from test sites are compared to that of the reference sites.