PROTECTED AREAS in NORTHERN CANADA Designing for Ecological Integrity Yolanda F. Wiersma, Thomas J. Beechey, Bas M. Oosenbrug, John C. Meikle Protected Areas in Northern Canada: Designing for Ecological Integrity Phase 1 Report Yolanda F. Wiersma, Thomas J. Beechey, Bas M. Oosenbrug, John C. Meikle Canadian Council on Ecological Areas CCEA Occasional Paper No. 16 Protected Areas in Northern Canada: Designing for Ecological Integrity Phase 1 Report Phase 1: A literature review and summary of science-based approaches for protected area design with a survey and assessment of existing protected areas, current practices and future needs. The full citation for this report is: Wiersma, Yolanda F, Thomas J. Beechey, Bas M. Oosenbrug and John C. Meikle. 2005. Protected Areas in Northern Canada: Designing for Ecological Integrity. Phase 1 Report. CCEA Occasional Paper No. 16. Canadian Council on Ecological Areas, CCEA Secretariat, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. xiv + 128 pp. + folded map. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Protected areas in northern Canada: designing for ecological integrity/Yolanda F. Wiersma (et al.). Includes bibliographic references ISBN 0-7708-0147-1 1. Protected areas—Canada, Northern. I. Wiersma, Yolanda F. (Yolanda Francine), 1973- II. Canadian Council on Ecological Areas QH77.C3P745 2005 333.78’209719 C2006-901362-4 ©2005 Canadian Council on Ecological Areas Canadian Council on Ecological Areas Secretariat: c/o Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada 3rd fl oor, 351 St. Joseph Boulevard, Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3 Printed on recycled paper Printed and bound in Canada Cover: Moose (Alces alces) is a symbol of Canada’s northern forests, Frances Lake, Yukon (Photo by J. Meikle) CCEA Mission The Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) is an independent national organization constituted in 1982 to encourage and to facilitate the selection, protection and stewardship of a comprehensive network of protected areas in Canada. In 1995, CCEA became a registered charitable organization. The Council draws its following and support from First Nations and Inuit peoples, federal, provincial and territorial government agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, industry and private citizens concerned with protected areas. The goal of CCEA is to facilitate and to assist Canadians with the establishment, management and use of a comprehensive viable network of protected areas that represents the diversity of Canada’s terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems. To that end, the work of CCEA is centred on the following activities: 1. Promoting the value of protected areas for conserving biodiversity and for helping to sustain ecosystems for the environmental, social and economic well being of all Canadians; 2. Providing scientifi c advice and guidance in the design of a nation-wide network of protected areas incorporating both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the selection of areas to complete it; 3. Advancing sound ecological and science-based stewardship practices for protected areas including the management, restoration and use of them for conservation, science, education and heritage appreciation; 4. Assisting in determining the administrative and institutional arrangements for the securement, protection, management and use of protected areas; 5. Communicating and working with regional, national and international interests toward the achievement of Council’s goal and objectives; 6. Monitoring and reporting on initiatives and progress regarding the establishment, conservation, management and use of protected areas; and, 7. Conducting other such work and activities as may be necessary to support these aims. For more information, visit the CCEA website: www.ccea.org Dedication Dr. J. Stan Rowe June 11, 1918 – April 6, 2004 CCEA colleagues and associates will long remember Dr. J. Stan Rowe, who passed away peacefully at home on April 6, 2004. Widely known for his book, Forest Regions of Canada, Dr. Rowe gained special notoriety for his later writings on ethics and conservation, which demonstrate his intimate insight of ecology and the caring attitude that we need to adopt as environmental stewards. Dr. Rowe’s notions of ecological sustainability and stewardship, so eloquently portrayed in his popular work, Home Place: Essays in Ecology, and his other writings, offer illuminating guidance for Canadian conservation efforts. Among his many contributions to conservation, CCEA associates are especially indebted to Dr. Rowe for his early involvement in promoting protected areas and helping to establish the Council to advance this important mission. Dr. Rowe’s environmental philosophy and reverence for Nature, embodied in his actions and his writings, are nowhere more applicable than in efforts to conserve Canada’s North. This report is dedicated as a tribute to Stan Rowe, with special thanks and appreciation for his vision and leadership that are a true inspiration for preserving wilderness in Canada. Acknowledgements This report refl ects over a year of collaboration between the authors, associates of the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas, and protected areas planners, managers and directors across the country. The CCEA Executive provided encouragement and support throughout the project. The Governments of Canada, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon provided funding for research and production of the report. The report would not have been possible without the thoughtful and generous time given by the following survey respondents, who provided refl ective input to the comprehensive questionnaire (Appendix D) reported on in section 4. Yvonne Beaubien, Protected Areas Initiative, Manitoba Conservation Fred Beek, Resource Stewardship Branch, Saskatchewan Environment Bill Crins, Ontario Parks, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Christine Doucet, Inland Fish and Wildlife Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Cameron Eckert, Yukon Parks Branch, Department of the Environment, Yukon Government Sian French, Parks and Natural Areas Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Vincent Gerardin, Ministère de l’Environment du Québec, Direction du patrimoine écologique et du développement durable Joyce Gould, Parks and Protected Areas Division, Alberta Community Development Ken Harris, Habitat Conservation Branch, Canadian Wildlife Service Katie Hayhurst, Yukon Parks Branch, Department of the Environment, Yukon Government Helios Hernandez, Parks and Natural Areas Branch, Manitoba Conservation Steve Holmes, Great Lakes Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada Afan Jones, Yukon Parks Branch, Department of the Environment, Yukon Government Paul Latour, Prairie and Northern Region, Canadian Wildlife Service David Livingstone, Renewable Resources and Environment, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and Development Ken Mallet, Northern Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada Brenda McAfee, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada Dan Mulrooney, Ontario Parks, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources David Monteith, Parks and Conservation Areas, Government of Nunavut Bas Oosenbrug, Wildlife Division, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories Dan Paleczny, Ontario Parks, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Brian Pelchat, Yukon Fish and Wildlife Branch, Department of the Environment, Government of Yukon Jacques Perron, Ministère de l’Environment du Québec, Direction du patrimoine écologique et du développement durable Protected Areas in Northern Canada: Designing for Ecological Integrity v Floyd Phillips, Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch, Manitoba Conservation Wayne Schick, Parks Branch, Saskatchewan Environment Carol Sheedy, Eastern Canada Directorate, Parks Canada Agency Jason Simms, Marine Protected Areas Program, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Newfoundland and Labrador Glen Suggett, Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch, Manitoba Conservation Erik Val, Yukon Parks Branch, Department of the Environment, Yukon Government Duane West, Western Canada Directorate, Parks Canada Agency Rob Wright, Forest Ecosystem Branch, Saskatchewan Environment A draft of the report was made available for review to academics, practitioners and environmental NGOs interested in protected areas in Canada. We thank the following individuals who volunteered their time to provide a careful and thoughtful review of the draft report. Bill Crins, Ontario Parks, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Pauline de Jong, Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy Secretariat Alan Fehr, Western Arctic Field Unit, Parks Canada Agency Sian French, Parks and Natural Areas Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Frances Gertsch, Ecological Integrity Branch, Parks Canada Agency Joyce Gould, Parks and Protected Areas Division, Alberta Community Development Katie Hayhurst, Yukon Parks Branch, Department of the Environment, Yukon Government Alain Hébert, Ministère des Resources Naturelles, de la Faune et des Parcs, Government of Québec Helios Hernandez, Parks and Natural Areas Branch, Manitoba Conservation Jim Johnston, Director General, Parks Canada Agency Paul Latour, Prairie and Northern Region, Canadian Wildlife Service Nicole Lights, Parks and Natural Areas Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Gordon