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2. Effects of natural resource development on the terrestrial biodiversity of Canadian boreal forests1.
- Author
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Venier, L.A., Thompson, I.D., Fleming, R., Malcolm, J., Aubin, I., Trofymow, J.A., Langor, D., Sturrock, R., Patry, C., Outerbridge, R.O., Holmes, S.B., Haeussler, S., De Grandpré, L., Chen, H.Y.H., Bayne, E., Arsenault, A., and Brandt, J.P.
- Subjects
- *
FOREST management , *TAIGAS , *PLANT growth , *HABITATS , *NATURAL resources - Abstract
Much of Canada's terrestrial biodiversity is supported by boreal forests. Natural resource development in boreal forests poses risks to this biodiversity. This paper reviews the scientific literature to assess the effects of natural resource development on terrestrial biodiversity in Canadian boreal forests. We address four questions: (1) To what extent have Canadian boreal forests changed due to natural resource development? (2) How has biodiversity responded to these changes? (3) Will the biodiversity of second-growth forests converge with that of primary boreal forests? (4) Are we losing species from boreal forests? We focus on trees, understory plants, insects, fungi, selected mammals, and songbirds because these groups have been most studied. We review more than 600 studies and found that changes in community composition are prevalent in response to large-scale conversion of forest types, changes in stand structures and age distributions, and altered landscape structure resulting from forest management and habitat loss associated with other developments such as oil and gas, hydroelectric, and mining. The southern boreal forest has been more highly impacted than the north due to more extensive forest management and the cumulative effects of multiple forms of development. There is abundant evidence that most species are not in danger of being extirpated from the boreal forest due to these anthropogenic changes. A few species, including woodland caribou ( Rangifer tarandus) and grizzly bear ( Ursus arctos), have, however, undergone long-term range contractions. Significant gaps in our ability to assess the effects of natural resource development on biodiversity in the boreal zone are the lack of long-term spatial and population data to monitor the impact of forest changes on ecosystems and species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
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3. Bridging the Gap Between Economics and Ecology
- Author
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Gem Castillo and Larry Leefers
- Subjects
Michigan ,Bridging (networking) ,QH301-705.5 ,Ecology (disciplines) ,United Nations Environment Programme ,circumpolar resources ,ecological economics ,natural resources accounting ,SEEA ,Social Organization ,boreal forest ,Biology (General) ,natural resources ,QH540-549.5 ,Nature and Landscape Conservation ,degradation ,Ecological economics ,World Bank ,depletion ,natural capital ,Ecology ,business.industry ,Environmental resource management ,Forestry ,Resource depletion ,sustainability ,Geography ,Sustainability ,Natural capital ,business - Abstract
"Economics and ecology are often presented as opposing disciplines. Both fields have strengths and weaknesses. A new transdisciplinary field, ecological economics, attempts to bring together the strengths of both disciplines with a vision for a sustainable future. In this paper, we focus on one particular concept championed by ecological economists, natural capital. In particular, our interest is on the institutionalization of this concept through the United Nation's Satellite System for Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA). SEEA is an international convention that incorporates natural resource accounting as a complement to the traditional System of National Accounts (SNA). In the case of boreal forests, the stocks and flows of forest resources can be assessed to determine prospects for sustainability. To provide a context for how natural resource accounting may be applied to boreal forests, we review the origin and purpose of natural resource accounting, summarize several cases in which natural resource accounting has been applied, and present an example of stocks and flows from Michigan's (United States) boreal forest resources. Natural resource accounting work from Canada, Finland, Norway, and other countries with boreal forests should be compiled and analyzed to provide more insights regarding circumpolar forest conditions."
- Published
- 1998
4. Bridging the Gap Between Economics and Ecology
- Author
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Leefers, Larry A. and Castillo, Gem B.
- Published
- 1998
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