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Toward an Ecosystem Reserve Complex for the Canadian Rockies

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Toward an Ecosystem Reserve Complex for the Canadian Rockies University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1996 Toward an ecosystem reserve complex for the Canadian Rockies Thomas M. Platt The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Platt, Thomas M., "Toward an ecosystem reserve complex for the Canadian Rockies" (1996). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 6601. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/6601 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University ofIVIONTANA Pennissioii is granted by the author to reproduce tliis material in its entirety, provided that tliis material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ** Please check "Yes** or "No" and provide signature ** Yes, I grant permission No, I do not grant permission Author’s Signature ^ Date Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author's explicit consent. TOWARD AN ECOSYSTEM RESERVE COMPLEX FOR THE CANADIAN ROCKIES by Thomas M. Platt B.S. The University of Oregon, 1986 presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science The University of Montana 1996 Approved by: 1 Chairperson Dean, Graduate School Date UMI Number: EP37402 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI DisswUiitiofi Pubfishing UMI EP37402 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest ProQ uest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Table of Contents Chapter I page 1 The Need for Biological Reserve Planning in Canada Chapter II page 10 Contemporary Reserve Planning in the Rockies Chapter III page 46 Conservation Biology Planning for British Columbia Chapter IV page 64 Design Methodology for a Canadian Rockies Reserve System Chapter V page 76 Using Law and Politics to Protect the Rockies Appendix I______________________________________________ page 92 East Kootenay Land-use Plan Designations by Polygon Appendix II_____________________________________________ page 95 West Kootenay-Boundary Land-use Plan Designations by Polygon Appendix III____________________________________________ page 99 Columbia Mountain Reserve System Protected Area Classes Bibliography page 102 11 List of Figures & Tables Figures Figure 1 page 8 Conservation biology core/buffer design model Figure 2 page 39 CORE land-use plan implementation flow chart Tables Table 1__________________________________________________page 55 Comparison of reserve design selection criteria Table 2__________________________________________________page 61 Comparison of area and percentage of landscape protected under CORE and Columbia Mountains plans Table 3__________________________________________________ page 71 Protected areas selection criteria for the proposed Canadian Rockies reserve system Table 4__________________________________________________ page 73 Habitat linkage zone selection criteria for the proposed Canadian Rockies reserve system 111 List of Illustrations Maps Map 1 page 3 Existing protected areas and roadless lands in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. and Canada Map 2 page 14 The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act Map 3 page 21 British Columbia's Protected Areas Strategy study areas Map 4 page 22 B.C. Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE) land-use planning areas Map 5____________________________________________________ page 35 CORE East Kootenay land-use polygons Map 6____________________________________________________ page 37 CORE West Kootenay-Boundary land-use polygons Map 7____________________________________________________ page 47 Columbia Mountains reserve system Map 8____________________________________________________ page 54 Overlay map of Kootenay planning areas with Columbia Mountains plan area Map 9____________________________________________________ page 59 Overlap of Kootenay reserve units with Columbia Mountains reserve units Map 10___________________________________________________ page 6 0 Overlap of Kootenay Special Management Areas with Columbia Mountains linkage/buffer zones Map 11___________________________________________________ page 65 Study area boundary for a B.C./Alberta ecological reserve complex IV CHAPTER I The Need for Biological Reserve Planning in Canada Introduction Human degradation of biological systems has increased rapidly during the twentieth century, far outstripping the rate of natural change seen during recent millennia. This change is apparent across the globe, on every continent and in every ecosystem. As this century draws to a close, however, an increasing number of scientists, citizens and government representatives are attempting to curb the erosion of biological diversity and halt the unrestrained human behavior that threatens our fragile planet. One of the principal mechanisms for preventing the destruction of biological diversity is through the protection of representative ecosystems in reserve complexes. These reserves must be of sufficient size and variety to allow natural ecological processes to continue in the face of internal and external forces of change. The idea of protection through the identification and design of nature reserve systems has been around for over a century, beginning in 1872 with the designation of the Yellowstone region in the United States as the world's first national park. Yellowstone was set aside to prevent the destruction of the region's landscapes, wildlife and unique geological features from short-sighted development. Since the creation of Yellowstone National Park, thousands of parks, wilderness areas, and other biological reserves have been created around the world. The intent behind setting aside these areas has expanded considerably beyond preservation of scenic beauty to encompass the protection of biological diversity from the genetic to the landscape level. In the Rocky Mountains of Canada and the United States, there is an opportunity to identify and protect significant areas of North America's remaining intact temperate ecosystems. But this process of protection needs to be driven by the best available biological knowledge, tempered by a realistic commitment to implement aggressive protection proposals once they have been prepared. This means forging a strong link between science and politics. Such a link must use the sophisticated models and perspective of conservation biology, driven by the political skill and knowledge of grassroots conservation activists working to protect the ecosystems of their home regions. This research paper will review approaches for effectively using both of these powerful tools in order to propose a protection strategy for the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, compatible and linked with existing reserve system proposals in Canada and the United States (see Map 1, next page). Map 1 - Protected areas and roadless lands in the United States and Canada Alliance for the Wild Rockies 1988. rAgr BKrrtsif coLUMH(A MONTANA IDAHO m à WVOMIW Protecting Biological Diversity Ecosystem reserve planning has become increasingly sophisticated throughout the world since the creation of Yellowstone National Park. Driving the ecological reserve planning process is the developing discipline of conservation biology, a branch of biological science concerned with the development of ecological theory and its application to the protection of biological diversity at all levels {Soule 19 86). Conservation biology is rapidly gaining authority in the process of designing biological or ecosystem reserves as refuges for not only individual species of plants and animals, but for the processes of natural ecological function as well. Biologists are determining the minimum habitat requirements for numerous species' survival, and identifying the last remaining functioning land areas that may sustain intact species assemblages. Throughout the world, areas are being identified that retain sufficient size and natural function to sustain natural biological processes in perpetuity. In the Earth's temperate regions, many biological systems have been fragmented and destroyed. Given the dense concentration of human population within the temperate band, it is becoming more difficult to identify areas where biological systems still function naturally. In North America, the western mountain region harbors a group of relatively intact ecosystem complexes. The Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada contain large areas of remote native forest, riparian, and alpine habitat. These areas are under intense pressure from human encroachment and face a severe threat of destructive
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