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Program Activity 2: Heritage Resources Conservation
Heritage Resource Conservation - Performance Indicator
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Measuring Ecological Integrity of National Parks of Canada
Parks Canada recognizes three major components of ecological integrity: biodiversity, ecosystem processes and stressors (Table 6). These components are the basis for ecological integrity monitoring and reporting. A new suite of ecological integrity indicators has been developed to reflect the knowledge generated through the recently established ecological integrity (EI) monitoring program. These indicators will ensure Parks Canada Agency is responsive to recent direction from Budget 2008 to improve the effectiveness of our various environmental research, monitoring and reporting programs related to Ecological Integrity, Species at Risk, Environmental Assessments and Contaminated Sites. Data are being collected for these indicators in every national park and will be used for future reporting.
Table 6: Framework for Reporting on Ecological Integrity of National Parks
| Component | Definition and Measures |
| Biodiversity | The natural variety of plant and animal species, and the genetic variation within individual populations that characterize ecosystems. Measures include extent to which original species diversity is maintained, extent normal predator-prey relations continue, and extent of species loss. |
| Ecosystem Processes | The flows of energy and matter that shape ecosystems (e.g., growth and decomposition of vegetation, fire, etc.). In normal circumstances these functions are expected to occur within an acceptable range of variation. Measures include the extent of plant growth in a park and the existence of a natural fire cycle |
| Stressors | Factors, either within or from outside the park, that negatively affect both its biodiversity and ecosystem processes. They may be global and long-range (e.g., climate change, long-range pollutants), or regional and local (e.g., regional land management practices around a park, road densities). Some stressors (e.g., particular diseases in neighbouring animal populations) are specific only to a few parks. Measures include extent of development and population density around a park, the extent of internal roads in a park, and the water quality (i.e., for aquatic ecosystems). |
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