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1999 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Exhibit 3.8—An Ecosystem Approach to Research, Monitoring and Assessment
This case study illustrates the benefits of adopting an ecosystem approach to managing environmental issues that cut across departments and mandates.Continuous monitoring at Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia dates back to the 1970s, when the Canadian Wildlife Service and Parks Canada initiated monitoring of physical, chemical and biological parameters. Based on their data, which identified the site as highly sensitive, the Park was selected in 1978 to be monitored for acid rain and its effects as part of the Long Range Transport of Atmospheric Pollutants (LRTAP) program. Since then, monitoring and research programs have been initiated on the impacts of mercury, effects of climate change and ultraviolet radiation (UV-B) as well as biodiversity and forest ecology dynamics. This site is also part of the Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network.
Although this project began with a focus on acid rain, the interconnectedness of stressors and impacts in the Kejimkujik ecosystem and the usefulness of the LRTAP data to related studies have led to the project's expansion to include other environmental components and other toxic substances. For instance, mercury levels in loons have been measured over the last 10 years and the information compared with data on reproductive success.
Many agencies have been involved since the inception of LRTAP studies, including all three services of Environment Canada, Parks Canada, Natural Resources Canada (Canadian Forest Service and the Geological Survey of Canada) and Fisheries and Oceans. Ongoing co-ordinated management of activities at the site and regular scientific workshops have provided means for researchers to exchange ideas and data, assess progress and identify research and monitoring needs.
The information generated from this multi-agency work has led to the development of a Regional Action Plan for Mercury (1996) and the New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Premiers Mercury Action Plan (1998). The long-term nature of these closely linked studies and the resulting ability to assess impacts and provide a scientific basis for emission reduction continue to justify the ecosystem approach.