Abstract:

Five case studies will share and compare observations of case studies conducted in five distinct Canadian landscapes. Each case study explores the types of parks and conservation-related knowledge that are known in the region and how this knowledge is use (or not) to advance protected area goals. The cases presented will include: Tofino-Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve; Bruce Peninsula; Pinery Provincial Park; Kananaskis Valley; Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve. Additionally, in a pan-Canadian survey conservation and park practitioners we asked respondents to describe disputes they had witnessed that arose relating to the use/non-use of science, Indigenous or local knowledge. These findings will also be shared, and compared with the case study observations.

Presenters:

Elizabeth Halpenny, University of Alberta

Session coordinator, Elizabeth Halpenny PhD, teaches and conducts research at the University of Alberta in the areas of tourism, marketing, environmental psychology and protected areas management. Elizabeth’s research focuses on tourist experience and advancement of environmental stewardship. Current research projects examine: (a) the effect of mobile digital technologies on visitors’ experiences; (b) parks-related knowledge mobilization; (c) environmental communication efficacy; (d) the impact of conservation-related brands on protected area travel decision making; and (e) agritourism.

Abstract:

The WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group has completed the first ever global guidelines for advancing best practices to protect the interconnections of protected and conserved areas, and restore degraded or fragmented ecosystems. Connectivity conservation is recognised by scientists, policymakers, and practitioners as a comprehensive approach for better protecting nature across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems. Culminating over 20 years of work at IUCN, these Guidelines for Conserving Connectivity through Ecological Networks and Corridors describe and exemplify innovative tools to support more consistent conservation efforts to combat fragmentation, halt biodiversity loss, and better adapt to climate change. Led by the WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, and with contributions from more than 100 experts in 30 countries, this work also provides 25 case studies illustrating a diversity of ways that ecological connectivity is being conserved around the world. These Guidelines seek to meet the increasing demand for conservation solutions that protect well-connected ecosystems supporting a diversity of ecological functions such as migration, water and nutrient cycling, pollination, seed dispersal, food security, climate resilience, and disease resistance. They introduce common definitions and highlight applications across resource uses, jurisdictions, cultures, and geographies. Furthermore, they address different ecosystems and species, cover varying spatial and temporal scales, and recommend formal designation of ecological corridors to knit together parks and protected areas. Essentially ecological corridors are the third leg of the conservation stool connecting protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) to achieve long-term functional ecological networks. This keynote will be a PowerPoint presentation that seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the need for ecological connectivity, how the world is defining and implementing ecological corridors on the ground, and what processes and types of governance must be incorporated to be considered an ecological corridor by IUCN. Insights from 25 case studies around the world will offer ideas as to approaches that any level of government in Canada could advance to ensure parks and protected areas can more effectively conserve biodiversity during this time of climate change. Securing ecological connectivity requires developing effective collaborations across jurisdictional boundaries on public lands as well as private lands and the Indigenous territories across all of Canada. Given 21st-century conservation challenges, the world, including Canada, must advance connectivity conservation quickly.

Presenters:

Dr. Jodi Hilty, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

Dr. Jodi Hilty is president and chief scientist of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, a joint US-Canada non-profit organization. Y2Y’s vision is an interconnected system of wildlands and waters stretching from Yellowstone to Yukon, harmonizing the needs of people with those of nature. She is a conservation biologist specializing in ecological corridor and large landscape research and has over 20 years of experience managing large landscape conservation efforts. She works to apply science and knowledge-based solutions to complex challenges and to advance conservation through collaborative conservation efforts. She is the lead author of the new IUCN connectivity guidelines.

Abstract:

Many protected areas in Canada were created by the expulsion of Indigenous peoples from their traditional homelands. This history drives a need for reconciliation in all aspects of the management of protected areas. Here we reimagine how research could be conducted in Canadian protected areas by drawing on our recently published paper outlining 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists to enable reconciliation in Canada. This paper was written by an unique group of co-authors representing Indigenous and western science perspectives and fuelled by our critical review of the research field activities we have observed in northern Canada. Two co-authors, an Elder from Kluane First Nation and an ecologist for Parks Canada will present together the 10 Calls to Action and their specific implications for research and management activities in protected areas. Both co-authors have/are worked/working for Parks Canada and have been involved with the permitting process for research for over a decade in Kluane National Park and Reserve which is cooperatively managed with Kluane First Nation and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations. Original paper available online here: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2020-0005

Presenters:

Dr. Carmen Wong, Parks Canada

Mary Jane (Gà¹dia) Johnson

Gà¹dia – Mary Jane is a Lhu’à à n Mà¢n Ku DaÅ„ Elder who worked for Parks Canada and Kluane First Nation over 40+ years on protected areas, environment, cultural, and Indigenous language issues. She is a champion for Indigenous language revitalization while partaking in a community that actively lives their culture. Dr. Carmen Wong is the ecologist for Kluane National Park and Reserve in Yukon leading the monitoring program for 13 years. She holds a Ph.D. in forest ecology from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Resource Management from Simon Fraser University.

Abstract:

As Canada continues to set ambitious coastal and marine conservation targets, the need to integrate research, monitoring, citizen engagement and coastal communities is becoming increasingly clear. Moderated by senior Parks Canada advisors from different branches, this session explores the relationships between ocean literacy, coastal community well-being, and conservation in the context of three Parks Canada case studies.

Panelists: Noémie Roy

Ocean Literacy: Noemie will discuss the idea of ocean literacy, why it matters, and how protected area practitioners can play a role in the global movement towards greater connection to our ocean. Garrett Mombourquette, Prince Edward Island National Park (PEI NP): PEI NP represents Canada’s Maritime Plains Natural Region, and protects species at risk, including the Piping Plover. In collaboration with the University of Windsor, the Geological Survey of Canada, and other national parks, PEI NP is launching the #Coastie program. This program uses visitors’ pictures to monitor shoreline changes such as erosion, ice cover, beach use, and rip current locations. These pictures tell the story of the coastal adaptations and climate-smart restoration we need to preserve natural processes. Gabrielle Beaulieu, Kejimkujik National Park Seaside Adjunct: Kejimkujik protects one of the last undeveloped stretches of coastline in Nova Scotia. The recent arrival of the invasive European green crab led to the precipitous decline of eelgrass beds and clam populations. Through a Conservation Restoration project, Kejimkujik developed the Gone Crabbin’ visitor experience program, enlisting Canadians to help manage green crab impacts through trapping. This program contributed to marine ecosystem recovery, and empowered youth and local communities to participate in coastal conservation beyond park boundaries. Meaghen McCord, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR): GINPR represents the rich human and natural heritage of the Salish Sea. Owing to its marine biodiversity and rare terrestrial ecosystems, it is considered one of 11 ‘Priority Places’ by the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada. GINPR is home to some of the world’s largest marine mammals, including sea lions and endangered southern resident killer whales. To connect people to the ocean and improve understanding of complex human-ocean relationships, GINPR is investigating methods to encourage stewardship of ocean spaces and species; exploring the use of iconic and vulnerable marine species as ocean influencers to help: (1) cultivate connectedness and (2) integrate socio-scientific dialogue to support decision-making, management and sustainability. Hali Moreland, Coastal Community Well Being: Hali will discuss the concept of coastal community well-being, its role in protected area management, and how coastal community well-being, together with ocean literacy, can help us move towards collective ocean health.

Presenters:

Noémie Roy, Conservations Programs Branch, PCA

Panel Moderators: Munju Ravindra (Senior Advisor, Marine Conservation, Protected Areas Establishment and Conservation, PCA) Jessica Lambert (Coordinator, Nature Legacy, External Relations and Visitor Experience, PCA) Other presenters: Garrett Mombourquette (Climate Change Specialist, Prince Edward Island National Park, PCA) Gabrielle Beaulieu (Project Manager, Kejimkujik National Park Seaside, PCA) Meaghen McCord (Marine Ecologist, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, PCA) Hali Moreland (Policy Officer, Conservation Programs Branch, PCA)

The presenters represent multidisciplinary backgrounds at Parks Canada, including marine policy, marine science, communication, climate change, and conservation. Together, we form part of an Ocean Literacy Working Group building on international momentum to grow ocean literacy in Canada. We drew from our collective experience to design this interactive panel on ocean literacy and coastal community well-being. We believe this presentation will support our goal to foster ocean literacy in Canada and lead to opportunities for collaboration.

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to explore the practical applications of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) fifty-seventh Call to Action, which recommends public servants employed by various levels of government be educated on the history of Aboriginal peoples, treaties and rights, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Aboriginal-Crown relations, and Indigenous law using intercultural competency training amongst others avenues (Truth and Reconciliation Commission, 2015). Through engaging Kananaskis Country’s Public Engagement Team with these truths, this study looks to investigate current education and engagement practices within the region. Building on Dei’s (2010) statement that “definitions of place/locality and belongingness are not fixed, but imagined and fiercely contested” (p. 121), this research is the practical application and response to a critical inquiry about the role of interpretation and place-based education in producing problematic understandings of place that allow for ongoing colonialism (Ballantyne & Uzzell, 1999; Finegan, 2018, 2019; Staiff, Bushell, & Kennedy, 2002). While critical place-based pedagogical theories have existed for some time, work on the practical application of such approaches and what they entail is absent from much of the literature (Lowan-Trudeau, 2017). Park-based education operates with the specific purpose of growing individuals’ understandings and appreciation of resources and protected areas’ mandates. While critical views of cultural interfaces between European and Indigenous groups have gained momentum within heritage and historic site interpretation – providing visitors with the opportunity to explore various perspectives of a phenomenon to challenge settled understandings of place and peoples (Ballantyne & Uzzell, 1999) – this exploration of culture and land remains on the periphery within nature-based parks and protected area education practices. This project recognizes that parks where the primary goal of interpreting the natural environment is to justify conservation and protection of resources within the park boundary (Government of Alberta, 1986), such as Kananaskis Country, are ill-prepared to work in Indigenous contexts due to limited staff training and public programs that explore parks from the non-dominant perspective necessary to begin meaningful reconciliation. To assist Kananaskis Country’s Public Engagement Team in understanding the non-dominant histories of the land-base and the role critical place-based education plays in challenging settler colonial ideologies within park boundaries, this study is comprised of three sections: (i) pre-workshop interviews, (ii) a re-storying workshop, and (iii) post-workshop interviews. Through analyzing interview data, this research aims to answer the question: How do a critical re-storying of place and land that privileges Iyahé Nakoda truths influence park-based educators’ understanding of their role in decolonial and reconciliatory education within Kananaskis Country, AB and their relationship to the land?

Presenters:

Kelsey Jaggard, Lakehead University

Kelsey Jaggard is currently working towards her Masters of Education with a specialization in Indigenous Education at Lakehead University. Her research investigates informal education in Kananaskis Country Provincial Park and the effect a re-storying of place that is inclusive of local Indigenous truths. While attending Lakehead University, she worked as a research assistant for the National Center for Collaboration in Indigenous Education and also conducted research centered on building relations between Indigenous youth and the Thunder Bay Police Service. Prior to her graduate studies, she worked as an educator in the parks system and holds an Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership Degree from Mount Royal University.

Abstract:

Near-urban nature is comprised of the forests, river valleys, wetlands, savannahs, and other ecological features that surround and intersect human communities. This nature is critical to the health and well-being of all life in the area and is one of our greatest resources for adapting to climate change. While we often look to protect wilderness areas farther afield, southern Ontario is one of the most biodiverse regions in Canada – providing direct and irreplaceable ecosystem services to the country’s largest concentration of communities and people. This proximity puts near-urban nature at high risk of being degraded and lost, making increased conservation of ecological cores and corridors critical. Protected areas and parks in these contexts require strategic and collaborative approaches to ensure connectivity and long-term ecological integrity. This presentation will focus on the Southern Ontario Nature Coalition’s Near-Urban Nature Network Strategy that identifies evidence-based priorities and opportunities to address threats and create a more resilient region.

Protecting and connecting near-urban nature within Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe is a challenge given multiple jurisdictions, competing visions for the use of lands, and highly fragmented ownership. Continued urban growth, when met with the climate crisis, will make more Canadians vulnerable to flooding, heatwaves, droughts, and other stresses that affect everything from our infrastructure to our food production systems and local economies. Meeting this challenge begins with awareness of nature’s benefits. Indigenous histories and knowledge systems in preserving nature can inform strategies and advance management of the lands, water, and wildlife in the region.

Key insights from the strategy will be shared including the underlying research on regional ecology and ecosystem services in addition to priorities identified through engagement and input from Indigenous communities and a wide array of stakeholders in the region including municipalities, conservation authorities, agricultural groups, academics, environmental groups and public health professionals. This presentation will cover the following key takeaways within Ontario’s Greater Golden Horseshoe context:

• Major threats to biodiversity in southern Ontario.
• Contributions of nature to human health, wellbeing, and climate resilience.
• Existing protected areas and important corridors.
• Interesting solutions to protect near urban nature at an increased rate.
• Respect Indigenous communities as land right’s holders and amplify Indigenous knowledge systems and leadership.

Presenters:

Jacqueline Hamilton, Greenbelt Foundation

I am Jackie Hamilton, the Senior Research and Policy Advisor at the Greenbelt Foundation in Ontario, a Registered Professional Forester with a Masters in Forest Conservation and a BSc in Env Science. For nearly a decade I have worked on urban/peri-urban environmental projects with governments and NGOs. In the last 5 years, I have worked on research projects related to urban forestry, natural infrastructure and conservation in the Toronto area. I look forward to this opportunity to connect with colleagues who share similar challenges and passions.

Abstract:

Presenters:

Daniel Sigouin, Parks Canada

Abstract:

As visitation to some of Canada’s most popular National Parks increases, the impacts of “over-tourism” are becoming more acute and intense. Various ecological impacts of high visitation include the spread of invasive species, increased erosion and alteration of water flow patterns, increased risk of human-wildlife conflict, and displacement of sensitive species from critical habitats. Social impact of over-tourism includes increased crowding, visitor expectations not being met, and other impacts to the overall visitor experience, and potential impacts to the visitor experience. Throughout the years, Parks Canada has implemented various management actions to address visitor use at popular sites, such as shuttle buses, backcountry trail reservation systems, and encouraging visitation in shoulder seasons. Yet, these efforts have not been placed into a larger landscape strategic plan. The United States and Australia have also developed programs to strategically manage visitor use. Reviewing these approaches, we identified some commonalities. A successful visitor use management framework requires robust human use data and social science to understand levels of visitation, where people go, and what forms of recreation they participate in. Social science can also generate understanding of visitor expectations and motivations to visit a park, which can shape management programs. Well supported visitor use management strategies engage with stakeholders throughout the process. All frameworks acknowledge that data gaps exist in our understanding of park ecological, social, and cultural values; these data gaps may be addressed as part of a framework that starts by creating visitor use objectives and goals. A robust visitor use management framework also requires monitoring programs within the context of adaptive management. This last component helps fill data gaps, facilitates experimenting with management options, and allows flexibility to continually refine management strategies to have the greatest positive effect on the park experience and its ecological attributes. Implementing a visitor use management strategy for any park is a massive effort requiring successful collaboration with external stakeholders, park managers, and the Canadian public. Finding solutions to these complex problems inherently involves the need to try new things, develop new and meaningful relationships, and reassess objectives regarding the visitor experience. CPAWS Southern Alberta has proposed a step-by-step process that engages with stakeholders and results in a visitor use management strategy for landscape units in the Rocky Mountain National Parks: 1. Identify the Landscape Management Unit objectives and evaluation subjects relevant to visitor impacts on natural values 2. Prioritize natural assets and threats 3. Select indicators and establish thresholds 4. Establish management strategies 5. Implement, monitor, evaluate, and adjust Putting existing management efforts into the context of an overarching strategy across a larger landscape can help increase management effectiveness in addressing multiple ecological, social, and cultural objectives. CPAWS will provide a brief overview of our proposed process and engage protected area managers in a discussion around how best to work collaboratively with stakeholders to address this complex issue.

Presenters:

Dr. Sarah Elmeligi, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Southern Alberta Chapter

Sarah Elmeligi, PhD has focused on large mammal behaviour, landscape ecology, and wildlife conservation throughout her educational and professional career. Sarah believes that most wildlife management is really about managing people. Her research applies an interdisciplinary approach and relies heavily on working closely with communities, stakeholders, First Nations Governments, and park visitors. Her work with grizzly bears and large landscapes has influenced land management in Alberta and BC for more than a decade. She has worked in academia, conservation, and government bringing her diverse experience to her own consulting business. Her new book, What Bears Teach Us, combines her experiences to discuss human-bear coexistence.

Abstract:

Southern Ontario is one of Canada’s biodiversity hotspots, a complex landscape of protected lands, open space, urban development, and other uses; especially at the western tip of Lake Ontario, centred around Cootes Paradise Marsh in Hamilton and Burlington. It is home to over 60 species at risk and nearly a fifth of the country’s wild plant species, and the last intact ecological connection between Lake Ontario wetlands and the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. This biodiversity hotspot blooming in a dense urban area in Ontario is being protected and restored by a unique grass-roots park alliance: nine different land-owning organizations are collaborating to protect and restore approximately 1,900 ha, including significant wetlands and some of Canada’s richest areas for native plant species. Initiated by a science-based grassroots effort, three municipal governments, two conservation authorities, a major university, and three NGO’s formed the EcoPark System in 2013. The EcoPark System’s history, structure, and future are proving to be a special, unique, and transformative “hope spot” in the global effort for managing parks in near-urban areas. Urban areas are disproportionately affected by the impact of environmental change, and it is with urgency that experts, politicians, and citizens are working together to ensure nature remains in cities. As IUCN Director General Inger Anderson states, “By 2050, over two-thirds of the human population will be living in cities. Nature can help shelter urban dwellers from the worst impacts of climate change and enable them to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.”

This talk presents a hopeful example of how local partnership among both government and non-government agencies can protect and connect important natural lands in dense urban areas. This session will be about the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System and how recent on local movements of the blanding’s turtle, white-tailed Deer, and northern short-tailed shrew is helping the EcoPark System determine priorities for the next decade.

Presenters:

Tomasz Wiercicoh, Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System

I have led workshops, talks, and pavilions at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress and 2014 IUCN World Parks Congress on behalf of #NatureForAll, the IUCN WCPA Young Professionals, CoalitionWILD and the Young Peoples’ Media Coalition. These experiences have been shaped my passion for youth empowerment and effective collaboration. A professional goal of mine is to continue empowering young people through collaboration locally in Hamilton and Burlington. This research summit will connect me with similar initiatives and discover new ideas from parks professionals across Canada.

Abstract:

Enhancing ecosystem recovery in a manner that engages and benefits society is the underlying principle of Parks Canada’s Conservation and Restoration Program (CoRe). Through this guiding principle, the CoRe Program is achieving the recovery of three ecosystems impacted by invasive species at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site. Through open dialogue and collaboration with the Mi’kmaw of Nova Scotia, Kejimkujik is managing invasive species in its Coastal, Freshwater and Forest ecosystems. With evidence-based directed actions, Kejimkujik is coordinating and incorporating multi-disciplinary collaborative research, knowledge sharing and community engagement opportunities into an adaptive management approach. The invasive European green crab is well-established throughout the tidal estuaries found at Kejimkujik Seaside, and left unchecked, would re-engineer a coastal ecosystem functionally devoid of lush eelgrass beds and invertebrate life. By supporting local communities and researchers to find economic uses for green crab in the culinary, manufacturing and green economies, we are facilitating the diversification of markets for green crab and supporting a sustainable fishery for this invasive species. Chain pickerel and Small-mouth bass are threatening the functional diversity of Kejimkujik’s freshwater ecosystem with a high risk for native aquatic species including cascading impacts to species at risk and adjacent habitats. By building barriers to prevent further invasion, researching and understanding the fishes’ life history to improve management efficiency we are preventing entry of invasive fish into ecologically unique watersheds and keeping populations low to reduce the risk of expansion. The most recent invasive species to arrive in Kejimkujik is the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a tiny aphid-like insect that exclusively targets hemlock trees, threatening the very foundation of Acadian forest ecosystems. Actions to manage the threat include selective silviculture, predator sampling for biocontrol research, prioritized assessment of key old growth stands, and restoration activities like tree planting and herbivory control. Each project is at a different stage of completion, however the issue of invasive species impacts to ecosystem function and diversity is not new to conservation practitioners and is one that climate change will likely exacerbate. Parks Canada will present on the adaptive management approach underlying each of Kejimkujik’s CoRe projects, results to date and lessons learned, highlighting the collaborative work in each project with our Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw partners. By sharing and applying developed expertise in promoting standards of practice, catalyzing innovation and communicating results to Canadians on the issue of invasive species, these efforts have resulted in significant conservation gains.

Presenters:

Darrin Reid, Parks Canada – Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site

Darrin Reid has two degrees in Zoology (UoManitoba, UoGuelph), 11+ years as an aquaculture geneticist at the National Research Council working primarily on Atlantic halibut and Atlantic salmon, and 7+ years as a Project Manager for Parks Canada at Kejimkujik NP&NHS managing and mitigating the invasive fishes, Smallmouth bass and Chain pickerel.

It seems information on the management and mitigation of invasive species is seldom found in the published literature, by presenting and sharing our work I hope to show other parks and special places that dealing with invasive species is possible.

Abstract:

In 2019 Saanich Parks began building a Natural Intelligence program in which every resident in the municipality would have a positive interaction with nature by 2025. The rationale is that with every positive connection with nature and increased understanding of our role in the natural environment, residents will change behaviours to lessen their impacts on the environment. We began with a multi-year summer marketing and awareness campaign with the goal to increase the knowledge and appreciation of our communities’ impact on their local environment, while also improving their awareness of the benefits and value of Saanich’s large and diverse park system. Year One involved conducting an online community survey, designed to capture a baseline of understanding about nature in our community and Saanich’s parks and trail system. Other goals for year One included: creating a visual identity and social media presence about Saanich Parks Natural Intelligence. In 2020, the focus of the campaign shifted to an outcome based approach that encouraged people to visit and use Saanich parks, trails, beaches, playgrounds and natural areas. The goal was to see greater numbers of people in our community and region, particularly those who were new or infrequent users discovering and using our park system, and by doing so building an affinity for parks and a sense of value for the natural environment. The premise was that people who do not use a service or facility place less value than those who do. We encouraged residents to increase their exposure to nature locally thereby placing a higher value on parks and the natural environment. Our summer multi-media campaign (radio, TV, social media, web, print) had the main theme of reducing screen time and increasing the time spent outdoors in the local natural environment and showing that spending time outdoors has many benefits from personal mental and physical health to environmental health. While is may be fairly obvious to those of us in this field of work, many residents reacted very positively to the campaign. This theme has became even more relevant as the COVID 19 pandemic continues. We will present samples from the campaign and follow up data.

Presenters:

Eva Riccius, Saanich Parks

Ron Proskow, Saanich Parks

Eva Riccius is the Senior Manager at Saanich Parks. Ron Proskow is the Marketing and Communications Specialist for Saanich Parks, Recreation and Community Services. Saanich is Vancouver Island’s largest municipality and has a diverse parks system with over 170 parks and over 100 km of trails that cover everything from sportsfields, playgrounds to large natural areas. We are keen to share our early learnings from our ongoing multi-media campaign and learn from others doing similar work in other places.

Abstract:

Parks and recreational facilities in the Canadian context are critically important to health and wellbeing as they typically provide opportunities to connect with nature, pursue recreational activities, and facilitate social connections for the entire population. The ParkSeek project through three distinct objectives aims to establish new datasets, tools, and communities of practice around the population health benefits of parks and recreational facilities. The first objective is to analyze the geographic accessibility of parks and recreational facilities to create a set of open-access measures. The second objective is to collect information about the quality of parks and recreational facilities from a culturally and regionally representative sample of park and recreational facility users in communities across Canada. The third objective is to develop a searchable database of strategic and operational policies, analyzed through a health equity lens, explicitly related to parks and recreation in Canada. This session will be used to promote dialogue between research summit participants to help inform the project’s activities. A breakout room and facilitated discussion format will be used to elicit perspectives from researchers, practitioners, and learners about the project’s objectives and research activities. Participants will be making foundational contributions to an important pan-Canadian research project on parks and recreational facilities.

Presenters:

Alexander Wray, Human Environments Analysis Lab at Western University

Rebecca Clarke, Rose Hildebrandt, Braden Dyce, Jinhyung Lee, Jason Gilliland

Alexander Wray is a doctoral student in the Department of Geography & Environment at Western University. He is a research associate with the Human Environments Analysis Lab studying perceptions, and experiential quality, of parks and recreational spaces in Canada. He holds degrees in planning, environmental assessment, and geography. Facilitators of this session include graduate students and faculty members of Western University who are experienced in facilitating conversations around environmental health topics. Members of the ParkSeek team come from a wide range of disciplines including environmental studies, public health, geography, real estate, computer science, and landscape architecture.

Abstract:

One of the most pressing and challenging issues of our modern era is educating people about the alarming effects of environmental issues such as climate change and helping them to understand the importance of taking action. The question remains as to how environmental educators can help ensure the public understands the science behind environmental issues, realize their role in addressing these issues and feel empowered to do so (Ballantyne & Packer, 2005; 2011; Bueddefeld & Van Winkle, 2017; 2018; Hughes, 2013; Hughes, Packer, & Ballantyne, 2011). Biosphere reserves play an important role in educating people about environmental issues, encouraging an attachment to place, and facilitating meaningful pro-environmental behaviour change (UNESCO Biosphere Reserves of Canada, 2019). Specifically, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves of Canada (2019) identifies that biospheres “are proof that a sustainable way of living is not only possible but already happening; provide local and scalable solutions to balance long-term conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and inspire Canadians and all global citizens to replicate the practices modelled in biosphere reserves.

With these objectives in mind, Biosphere reserves need to be places for the public to learn tangible lessons in how to live harmoniously with nature and wildlife. Specifically, targeted programming, that is intended to help visitors learn how to safely interact with wildlife, is needed. This session will present the findings from a study conducted with a team of social scientists from the University of Alberta and the interpretive team from Elk Island National Park. The purpose of the research was to determine the efficacy of a dialogic-based interpretation approach to teach visitors how to become ‘Bison Wise’ and ‘Bear Aware’. Using principles from Transformative Learning Theory, Community-Based Social Marketing, and dialogic-narrative structures the research team worked with Parks Canada staff to determine key messages and related action outcomes (McKenzie-Mohr, 2000; Mezirow, 2012; Williams, Darville, & McBroom, 2018). With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of all in-person interpretation during the summer of 2020, the research team and Parks Canada Interpreters pivoted to create a short interpretive video using the dialogic-based narrative approach. With limited ability to contact visitors and low response rates the research team created an innovative mixed-methods approach to evaluate the success of the interpretive video. Results indicated that this approach was very effective in helping visitors to learn key messages and successfully demonstrate the ‘thumb rule’ and identify attractants. This presentation will focus on sharing the video created for this project and the storyboarding process used to incorporate key social science approaches to support visitor learning and behaviour change.

Presenters:

Jill Bueddefeld, Wilfrid Laurier University

Julie Ostrem

Dr. Jill Bueddefeld is a social scientist with an expertise in learning and behaviour change. She specializes in mixed-methods and pragmatic research that takes an applied approach to better understanding of how to design more effective learning experiences for people in parks and protected areas. She is currently working as a consultant advising Parks Canada on the ‘Making Roads Safer for Wildlife Initiative’ and her next research project will explore in situ conservation efforts at the Toronto Zoo under the guidance of Dr. Chris Lemieux at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Ms. Julie Ostrem is an M.A. student at the University of Alberta and was an integral part of this research.

Abstract:

In 2017, BC Parks partnered with the Social Planning and Research Council of BC to disseminate surveys to people who receive the Disability Parking Permit. The survey asked people with mobility-related disabilities about their experiences in BC Parks so we could learn ways to increase their participation in Parks experiences. The survey results taught us more than we expected. We learned that the majority of respondents not only face personal barriers in accessing recreation opportunities – such as cost, access to mobility devices, transportation and social networks – but that BC Parks and other recreation opportunities are consistently inaccessible to visitors with mobility-related disabilities. Our presentation is focused primarily on sharing research findings from the survey and will include two parts. First, the recorded portion will include a recorded zoom conversation between Craig and Lorraine where they will share how the research project came together what some of the findings were. In the live portion of the presentation, they will share their tips about how park agencies can do community-based research on accessibility and integrate research findings into facility and program planning.

Presenters:

Craig Paulson, BC Parks

Lorraine Copas

Craig Paulson has managed the capital facility infrastructure program in northwest BC for 10 years. He oversaw accessibility standards development, universal design staff training, and accessibility assessments of all the BC Parks front-country sites.

Abstract:

Parks Canada is collaborating with the Canadian Parks Collective for Innovation and Leadership (CPCIL) in conducting a Horizon Scan. Using the Horizon Scan methodology (e.g., see Sutherland 2020 to learn more), the scan is identifying emerging issues with the potential to affect ecosystems and ecosystem services in protected areas across Canada. The Scan will be completed by the end of February. The session will include a 15-min video about the completed process, as well as an interactive mini horizon scan.

Presenters:

Sabine Dietz, Office of the Chief Ecosystem Scientist, Parks Canada

I am the lead person in the Office of the Chief Ecosystem Scientist (Ecosystem Science Lab) for this Horizon Scan. The Horizon Scan methodology is a useful tool to add to a strategic planning “toolbox”.

Abstract:

Beginning in June 2019. the Algonquin Aki Sibi Project is an effort to conserve and promote Algonquin traditional ecological knowledge via land and waterway Aki-Sibi community conservation projects. These projects are led by seven partner Algonquin communities: Kebaowek, Mitchikinibikok-Inik Barriere Lake, Winneway- Long Point, Kichisakik, Wolf Lake, Kitigan Zibi and Temiskaming. The Aki Sibi Protected Area vision is for a network of Algonquin Protected and Conservation Areas and other effective conservation measures (OECMs) that are shaped by the participating communities’ individual cultures and characters, offering a variety of landscapes and values to meet this national challenge.

Presenters:

Rosanne Van Schie, Kebaowek First Nation and University of Toronto

Rosanne Van Schie is a PHD candidate at the University of Toronto Forest Ecology lab working with Algonquin communities on how the Canadian forest commons can benefit from the re-introduction of Indigenous legal orders and Indigenous Protected Conservation Areas and Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs).

Presenters from the Aki Sibi Protected Area proposal communities will also participate.

Abstract:

The impacts of climate change have already been felt in British Columbia, are expected to intensify in future, and pose an unprecedented risk to the natural environment and socio-economic systems that depend on it. We describe a collaboration of the British Columbia Parks Foundation (BCPF), Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Nature Trust British Columbia (NTBC), and Universities of BC and Northern BC to deliver a web-based tool that can facilitate climate-informed systematic conservation planning, and which will become accessible to all NGO, government, and private institutions and individuals in BC. CAP-BC (Climate Adaptive Planning BC) is a web-based, graphical user interface that employs well-accepted planning principles, advanced species and climate velocity mapping, and land cover and human footprint data, to find near-optimal solutions to a wide range of problems in conservation prioritization. In this presentation, we show how BCPF’s desire to identify climate refuges and corridors, CPAWS’ desire to conserve biodiverse regions and rare, large and wide-ranging species, and NTBC’s desire to acquire land with of high conservation value can be advanced under climate-related uncertainty. We use then these results as a means to invite input on the additional feature layers and capabilities desired by other potential users. CAP-BC is the first spatial optimization tool capable of prioritizing land for conservation under climate change across BC, based on its predicted resilience to climate change, value as a climate refuge, and role in facilitating species movement and dispersal at the landscape-scales.

Presenters:

Peter Arcese, Faculty of Forestry, UBC

Tori Ball (CPAWS), Leanna Warman (NTBC), Andrew Day (BCPF), Oscar Venter (UNBC), Richard Schuster (Carleton)

Arcese is a Prof. & FRBC Chair in Conservation (UBC), Venter is Assoc. Prof. and FRBC Chair in Forestry (UNBC), Schuster is a Liber Ero Fellow (Carleton), Day is CEO of BCPF, Ball is a Terrestrial Campaigner (CPAWS), and Warman is a Conservation Ecologist (NTBC). Our goal is to share our broad experience with other conservation planners to enhance the value of our research products.

Abstract:

The presentation will be based on my masters research with Snuneymuxw First Nation and Saysutshun (or Newcastle Island Provincial Marine Park in BC). Ultimately what the project argues is that what is happening in co-management cannot be the only way forward for “reconciliation” or national self-determination for Indigenous peoples. What has been observed through fieldwork, which included interviews with citizens of Snuneymuxw and much time with the island itself is that too much of the current co-management agreement is controlled by a colonial heart. If these relationships are to meet the needs of the nation in attaining self-determination, much needs to be done to to transform what is at the heart of these agreements to include Indigenous and place-specific processes. This project drew on a diversity of Indigenous research methodologies and anthropological theory.

Presenters:

Chantelle Spicer, Simon Fraser University

Chantelle entered the MA program in Anthropology in fall 2019 after completing her BA in Anthropology and Indigenous Studies at Vancouver Island University. Her Master’s thesis is in grateful partnership with Snuneymuxw First Nation and will investigate co-management and the potential for repatriation of Saysutshun Island, a BC provincial park. The goal for this thesis and project is to move beyond ideas of reconciliation and to work towards further self-determination and sovereignty over traditional lands. She also spent two summers working for the Nation on Saysutshun as an ecological and historical tour guide. She is dedicated to enacting practices and ideologies of love in our relationships with traditional territories.

Abstract:

This presentation will describe recent work to develop a community-based biodiversity monitoring program for protected areas in the Northwest Territories (NWT). Biodiversity monitoring is critically important to provide current information on species occurrences and abundance. In many instances, measures of biodiversity can act as an early warning to trigger management interventions. Within the NWT, the challenge comes from sampling a vast and largely inaccessible area with limited capacity on the part of Territorial, Federal, and Indigenous governments. With increasing pressures from climate change, human use, and protected area development, the ability to have long-term monitoring of biodiversity is critical for the identification of threats to wildlife populations and to implement a timely and successful response. To this end, the Government of the Northwest Territories, Government of Canada Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), University of British Columbia (UBC) and the K’asho Got’ine Foundation are working with Indigenous governments who are cooperatively managing several protected areas to deploy wildlife cameras and sound recorders in a pilot biodiversity monitoring program. This information will help protected area management boards to make future decisions on management and monitoring. To support this program, the partners have worked together to provide training programs for Guardians on environmental sensors, winter safety training and boat safety, and worked with these individuals to deploy wildlife monitoring stations (each with a paired camera and sound recorder) in several areas including Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta and Dınà gà  Wek’èhodଠTerritorial Protected Areas. This presentation will be a combination of a promotional video that is being produced to highlight this initiative in Ts’udé Nilįné Tuyeta Territorial Protected Area and a pre-recorded presentation on the project.

Presenters:

Claudia Haas, Government of the Northwest Territories

Claudia Haas is a Protected Area Biologist working with the Government of the Northwest Territories. In collaboration with the Federal and Indigenous partners she has worked to develop and implement the biodiversity monitoring program in the NWT as well as conduct many research projects to support protected area management in the North.

Abstract:

For millennia, Indigenous people have created more productive, healthy ecosystems by modifying them with fire, and by altering the movements of important wildlife species such as bison (Bison bison). These practices, part of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), created healthy, productive soils, increased biodiversity and ecosystem resiliency and vigor, and sustained human health. Further, fire and bison are keystone forces that helped create North American grasslands and maintain them. On the Northwestern Plains, in the Foothills Parkland Ecoregion of Alberta, settler colonialism, which involved eliminating bison and suppressing fire, and introducing agronomic grass species, created extensive ecological damage to fescue (Festuca spp.) grasslands and also caused aspen (Populus tremuloides) encroachment onto the prairie. Since 2006, Waterton Lakes National Park (WLNP) has been restoring the prairie in this ecoregion by setting prescribed fires. We have been measuring grassland and aspen ecological responses to these fires since 2008. Additionally, in 2017 the Kenow wildfire burned our study site with mostly extreme severity, creating a new research landscape. Here we present findings from our research conducted over the past 12 years, and compare the grassland’s response to prescribed fire versus wildfire. We discuss how our research contributes to and helps inform Parks Canada adaptive management linking TEK and Western science to restore the prairie. The Kainai First Nation bison reintroduction underway in this ecosystem on tribal rangeland highlights the need to understand how seemingly catastrophic wildfire in an area restored with prescribed fire affects the prairie.

Presenters:

Dr. Cristina Eisenberg Eisenberg, Oregon State University

Dr. Cristina Eisenberg is graduate faculty at Oregon State University and an outstanding Alumna and Alumni Fellow. A Native American scientist, she is the principal investigator on two major projects with First Nations (the Kainai First Nation in Waterton Lanes National Park, Alberta and on the Kainai Timber Limit), and Native American (the Fort Belknap Indian Community, Aanniiih and Nakoda Tribes, Montana, USA) communities that integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge into ecological restoration. The 5-year program she directs in Fort Belknap is funded by the Bureau of Land Management. She is a Smithsonian Research Associate and the former Chief Scientist at Earthwatch Institute.

Abstract:

My research is known as systematic conservation planning (SCP) and is a holistic way of assessing a landscape to identify which portions hold the greatest ecological value. I am working alongside the Tsay Keh Dene Nation to identify key ecological and cultural locations within their territory, which faces significant threats from industry. Using spatial data on species, ecosystems, the landscape, and climate change, I will be prioritizing lands that are important through time. I am also exploring the integration of landscape connectivity into the SCP process. Finally, I will be interweaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge whenever possible to ensure an inclusive outcome, allowing the Nation to add to the protected lands within their territory.

I will be presenting an overview of my project to date, whether that be in poster or presentation format. Thus far I have collaborated with the Nation to articulate conservation goals for the territory, identified conservation features on the landscape that help attain those goals, and assembled and vetted spatial data on said features. I now have an operational SCP tool that utilizes prioritizr – an R package that solves conservation planning problems. By the time of the summit, I will have hosted a workshop with the Nation on target setting for each conservation feature, one of the necessary inputs to prioritizr. I will also have findings on where the most ecologically valuable lands in the territory are. This will not only identify potential conservation areas, but also help refine the boundaries of the Nation’s proposed Ingenika Indigenous Conservation and Management Area.

This 504,857 ha Indigenous Protected Area lies in north-central British Columbia, and preserves the cultural, spiritual, and ecological values of the Ingenika River watershed – one of the last-remaining pristine river valleys in the Territory of Tsay Keh Dene Nation. The Nation welcomes support from people and organizations across Canada in their effort to protect the Ingenika. This presentation will share insight on a conservation collaboration between a First Nation and a university, discuss community-led systematic conservation planning, and invite networking as the Nation solicits expertise to bring their conservation goals to fruition.

Presenters:

Christopher Morgan, University of Northern British Columbia

I am a second-year master’s student at the University of Northern British Columbia under Dr. Pamela Wright. My conservation coursework and thesis leave me well-suited to discuss the systematic conservation planning process, an Indigenous-led conservation planning effort, and interweaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western Science methods. Presenting at the Virtual Research Summit would help me to establish myself in the Canadian parks community, as well as connect the Tsay Keh Dene Nation with potential future collaborators.

Abstract:

It is generally accepted that environmental interpretation can help mitigate the negative impacts of recreation, tourism, and human use of parks and protected areas. Park managers use personal interpretation programs to achieve a variety of management outcomes and desired behaviours. However, personal interpretation’s efficacy in achieving these objectives is largely untested and the psychological factors that underpin these behaviours are unexplored. This study, therefore, provides further insight on the psychological processes driving self-reported pro-environmental behavioral intentions among overnight visitors attending personal interpretation programs in Alberta provincial parks. During the summers of 2018 and 2019, a total of 763 survey responses were completed by participants who attended a personal interpretation event. Latent variable structural regression modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationship between ecological worldview, attitudes, environmental emotions, and pro-environmental behaviours. Consistent with previous research, results showed positive relationships between ecological worldview, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviours. In addition, as knowledge translation is a key element of personal interpretation, this study hypothesized and showed a positive direct relationship between knowledge gain as a result of attending a personal interpretation event and pro-environmental behavioural intentions. Of particular interest, this study also showed a positive, significant pathway between negative environmental emotions on pro-environmental behaviours. These emotions include guilt, fear, and anger towards the way humans are treating the natural environment. Findings suggest that interpretation should focus programming and messaging on the affective elements of communication and seek to target personal meaning such as a sense of responsibly to act, while balancing the importance of knowledge transmission. Parks should seek to lean into affective messaging and capitalize on specific emotions rather than shy away.

Presenter:

Clara-Jane Blye, University of Alberta

Glen Hvenegaard and Elizabeth Halpenny

Clara-Jane Blye is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Alberta, in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. She studies environmental psychology and focuses on Leave No Trace behaviours, nature relatedness, and connecting new and diverse populations to Canadian parks. As a young scholar, CJ believes in research that can be used to support programming and policy development within parks and protected areas. CJ holds a Social Science and Humanities Research Council Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate (Doctoral) Scholarship.

Abstract:

The Northern New Brunswick Field Unit managing Kouchibouguac National Park acquired a drone in 2016. Our aim is to expose the fledgling experience of Kouchibouguac National Park with drone technology to increase awareness and stimulate exchanges of ideas on the use of this technology across the agency. It has since been used regularly in our field unit, in the development of photography-based promotional material and in remote sensing for ecological monitoring. We present detailed examples of how this technology has improved ecological monitoring in Kouchibouguac National Park. For example, it has been used in the development of new methods to monitor endangered plant species and the effects of climate change on the park’s barrier island system. Additionally, it allowed the park to easily and quickly monitor additional species not part of its ecological integrity and active management programs such as the summertime presence of a grey seal colony that moves in and out of the park’s jurisdiction. Exceptionally, in the context of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, drone technology was also used to overhaul the traditional line survey method we used for decades to conduct nest counts of Canada’s largest common tern colony, which used to involve a large number of field observers operating in close quarters on the park’s tern islands.

We will also present examples of future plans and ideas to maximize the use of drone technology in ecological monitoring at Kouchibouguac National Park. Our main aim is to explore new landscape-scale ecological integrity measures, and the development of new monitoring protocols to reduce human resource requirements and dependence on outside expertise for some of the park’s existing monitoring programs. The sharing of applied examples and also ideas not yet realized will favor discussions and networking among field units interested in applying the technology to their context, and well help establish a foundation for future collaborative efforts.

Presenters:

Daniel Gallant, Parks Canada, Northern New Brunswick Field Unit

I am a field ecologist specialized in animal behaviour and ecological monitoring. I was in academic research from 2006 to 2015, and also served as a consultant working on the design of monitoring programs with Parks Canada. A Parks Canada employee since 2016, I am currently park ecologist at Kouchibouguac National Park. I am responsible for implementing the park’s ecological monitoring and active management programs, and involved in reflections and decisions to expand our programs to take advantage of the capabilities offered by drones.

Abstract:

The coronavirus pandemic resulted in an unprecedented management issue for Canada’s many and diverse parks and protected areas agencies, including outright closures at the beginning of the pandemic, to significant restrictions and mitigation actions that remain in place to this day to protect the health and safety of the many millions of people who visit these areas annually (Hockings et al., 2020). On the one hand, the use of these spaces by large numbers of people may increase the risk of the virus spreading among the population (Freeman & Eykelbosh, 2020). On the other, these closures restrict access to important spaces that provide for healthy outdoor activities and associated stress relief, and prevent people from receiving the many health and well-being benefits that these areas provide. There is also some evidence to indicate that such closures result in individuals attempting to access more congested and risky spaces (Freeman & Eykelbosh, 2020). Indeed, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a number of unprecedented challenges for both visitors to parks, and those responsible for their planning and management. In light of these novel challenges, the objectives of this research are to better understand park agency response to COVID-19 and how social media is used as a communication tool related to the pandemic by park agencies. In addition, there is an opportunity to make recommendations about parks and protected areas in general.

Presenters:

Raluca Oprean, Wilfrid Laurier University

I am a second-year Masters of Environmental Studies student at Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelors in Geography from the same institution. I have been researching the impact COVID-19 has had and how park agencies have reacted to it from the very start. My data collection began in early March and I have followed it since then. I am interested in how park agencies continue to use crisis communication to inform the public of their decisions and how they deal with people’s reactions to those decisions.

Abstract:

As climate change continues to impact biodiversity worldwide, identifying conservation actions that are resilient to climatic shifts is increasingly imperative. Canada’s commitment to the Global Biodiversity Framework offers an opportunity to identify spatial priorities for achieving Canada’s biodiversity commitments that are also resilient to climate change. Within Canada, British Columbia’s diverse biogeoclimatic zones provide habitat to an extraordinary wealth of biodiversity. Climate-induced shifts in the distribution of climate zones for these ecosystems will require systematic conservation planning to ensure the long-term persistence of species and natural landscapes. Climate-change refugia (i.e., areas with high potential for species to persist in a changing climate) can serve as efficient conservation investments in this endeavour. For species with limited refugia options, spatial connectivity between locations of current and future habitat suitability will also facilitate species migration in response to shifting conditions.

The purpose of this project is to identify spatial locations of (a) vulnerabilities within the current protected areas network of British Columbia; and (b) priorities for conservation and management of natural landscapes within British Columbia under a range of future climate-change scenarios. This will involve the adaptation and implementation of existing continental- and provincial-scale frameworks for identifying areas that have potential to serve as refugia from climate change or corridors for species migration, including species at risk and species of cultural importance to Indigenous peoples. Outcomes of this work include the provision of practical guidance for protected areas network design and vulnerabilities identification under climate change, with application to other regions and jurisdictions. Project findings will shed light on the resiliency of the existing network of protected areas, other conservation designations, and modernized land use planning to better understand the risks to British Columbia’s biodiversity in our changing climate.

A key component of this endeavour is collaboration across Indigenous, governmental, non-governmental, and academic sectors. Our project partners include Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, BC Parks, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, the University of Alberta, and the Wilburforce Foundation.

This 5-minute speed talk session will be presented as a series of PowerPoint slides.

Speakers:

Diana Stralberg, Natural Resources Canada

Diana Stralberg is a spatial ecologist and conservation biologist focused on understanding the landscape features, climatic conditions, and ecosystem characteristics that confer resilience to climate change. Her recent research has primarily focused on the development and synthesis of predictive models and climate-change adaptation indicators at multiple spatial scales. Diana is involved in multiple Canadian and international research collaborations and is affiliated with the AdaptWest Project for climate-change adaptation (adaptwest.databasin.org) and the Boreal Avian Modelling Project (borealbirds.ca). She is a research scientist at the Canadian Forest Service and holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of Alberta.

Abstract:

As protected area acquisition within Canada accelerates to 25% by 2025, and 30% by 2030, several key challenges will emerge. Namely, the ability for practitioners to identify and manage threats to wildlife and their habitats depends on the availability and currency of monitoring information. Currently, monitoring capacity is strained and this capacity could be severely hampered by the dramatic anticipated increases to protected areas networks. Ensuring that monitoring capacity is sufficient to address increases in the extent of protected areas is of paramount importance. Environment and Climate Change Canada has developed an innovative new Ecological and Conservation Monitoring Program (ECOMaP) for protected and conserved areas. ECOMaP is specifically designed to address the need for efficient and varied data collection across the diverse Canadian land- and sea-scape.

This presentation will be a RapidTalk that showcases ECCC’s new monitoring program. ECOMaP is based on a multi-scale framework that provides data collection and reporting opportunities at national, regional, and site level, while emphasizing adaptive management. Under ECOMaP, synoptic data layers pave the way toward more consistent national analysis and reporting in the long term, while flexible regional and site monitoring ensure that unique protected area attributes and threats continue to be effectively managed. ECOMaP standardizes data collection and reporting based on tools that improve the monitoring efficiency, including through the use of national geospatial data products, digital data collection, and centralized data storage. The program development and selection of monitoring foci draw on established scientific and peer-reviewed research, international best practices, and existing monitoring knowledge from practitioners. The time-savings inherent in adopting ECOMaP will support the collection and use of a greater quantity and diversity of monitoring information within protected areas management. As an example, national data layers support hotspot assessments at regional and local scales thereby contributing to targeted field monitoring and management interventions. ECCC’s monitoring protocols and national indicators are being developed so as to facilitate use by other protected areas organizations.

Presenters:

Dr. Laura Coristine, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Dr. Laura Coristine is an engaged scientist and has worked for Environment and Climate Change Canada since 2018. She earned her PhD from the University of Ottawa and completed a Liber Ero Postdoctoral Fellowship through the University of British Columbia. Her current work draws on her research experience in identifying solutions to mitigate biodiversity loss. Through the federal government, she focuses on developing a new national monitoring program for the Canadian Wildlife Service protected and conserved areas. This work addresses multi-jurisdictional land management considerations at local, regional, and national scales. Dr Coristine’s research has been featured on Quirks and Quarks, CBC, GobalNews and various other media.

Abstract:

What do you remember about that outdoor theatre show or guided hike from your last park camping trip? Were there immediate impacts or lasting outcomes? Most park and protected area agencies have mandates to provide education and appreciation opportunities as part of broader outdoor recreation experiences. However, many agencies do not fully assess how much they reach these goals. Alberta Parks is seeking scientific indicators to evaluate progress towards its objectives, which will assist in setting priorities, allocating budgets, and planning. Therefore, we sought to determine differences in trip outcomes between attendees and non-attendees of personal interpretation in Alberta’s provincial parks.

During the summers of 2018 and 2019, we randomly sampled respondents from 11 provincial parks in Alberta that offered personal interpretation programs. In total, we surveyed 1672 visitors in campgrounds (98% response rate) of which 763 had attended a personal interpretation event (e.g., outdoor theatre presentations, guided hikes, family programs, and bus tours) and 909 who had not. With reference to their current camping trip, we asked respondents to indicate their level of satisfaction, learning, attitudes towards certain park management issues, intentions to participate (and actual participation) in certain park behaviours, connections to place, and positive memories of their experience. In addition, we asked respondents about their trip and demographic characteristics.

In terms of trip outcomes, interpretation attendees reported greater satisfaction and larger knowledge gains from their park experiences than non-attendees. Attendees had more park-friendly attitudes than non-attendees for three of five park issues (e.g., feeding wild animals, asking fellow campers to keep campsites clean, and building smaller campfires). Attendees had greater intentions to engage in three of eight park-friendly behaviours (e.g., asking fellow campers to keep campsites clean, attend another interpretive program, and support parks in some way) than non-attendees. Attendees engaged more often in two of five park-friendly behaviours (e.g., tell fellow campers to keep their campsites clean) than non-attendees. Attendees and non-attendees did not differ regarding the outcomes of connections to place and developing positive memories.

Regarding demographic characteristics, program attendance was not associated with gender, but attendees were more educated and had more children in their groups than non-attendees. Program attendees were more motivated by learning about nature and enjoying nature than non-attendees, while non-attendees were more motivated by having fun and relaxing than attendees.

Consistent with other studies, our results showed significant impacts from interpretive programs on visitor satisfaction and enjoyment and moderate impacts on attitude change and behaviour change. These results can help improve planning, budgeting, programming, and marketing for interpretation by park agencies around the world.

Presenters:

Glen Hvenegaard, University of Alberta

Clara-Jane Blye and Elizabeth Halpenny

Glen Hvenegaard is a Professor of Environmental Science at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus. His research focuses on mutual benefits of people-nature interactions in park, wildlife, education, and rural contexts.

Clara-Jane Blye is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Alberta, in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation.

Elizabeth Halpenny, also a Professor at the University of Alberta, teaches and conducts research in the areas of tourism, marketing, environmental psychology, and protected areas management.

Abstract:

Presenters:

Abstract:

Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) pose threats to both humans and wildlife and they are increasing throughout North America (Huijser & Paul, 2008; Huijser et al., 2009). Collisions contribute to increasing levels of human-wildlife conflict in parks and protected areas, and literature from the human dimensions of wildlife focuses on the attitudes and behaviours of humans as being critical to resolving conflict and promoting coexistence (Dietsch et al., 2019; Manfredo & Dayer, 2004; Seymour et al., 2006). In partnership with Parks Canada, this session will present findings from a systematic literature review of WVC research with a focus on human attitudes, knowledge, awareness, and behaviours. While there is general concern for wildlife on roads, it doesn’t always translate into behaviour; nor to all species (Wolfe et al., 2019). Evidence shows that drivers often feel WVCs are random, unavoidable, and accidental – that animal behaviour is the main driver of collisions (Kioko et al., 2015; Marcoux & Riley, 2010). However, factors like driver speed (Gagnon et al., 2019; Rea et al., 2018), driver alertness (Rea et al., 2018), surrounding landscape characteristics (Antonson et al., 2015; Jagerbrand & Antonson, 2016), animal body size and species type (Assis et al., 2020; Kioko et al., 2015; Ramp et al., 2016), and traffic congestion from wildlife viewing (MacHutchon, 2014) influence the potential for WVCs. Mitigation measures come in two forms: animal-focused measures and driver-focused measures, and the latter includes education and awareness campaigns, wildlife warning signage, animal-activated crossing technologies, seasonal/temporary signage and speed reduction, and roadside reflectors. These measures vary in effectiveness and cost and a review of this literature is important to informing future park planning that addresses road safety and wildlife conservation and connectivity. This systematic review includes a variety of social science and natural science research that targets reducing WVCs through changing human attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours. This session will include an overview of the current knowledge in relation to (1) speeding; (2) roadside stopping to view wildlife; (3) and intentional persecution. Recommendations for reducing WVCs through driver-focused measures will be gleaned from existing literature. Research from a recent study in Elk Island National Park (Alberta) will be presented to provide an example of how a dialogue based narrative approach can be used to improve awareness of an issue and behaviour change in relation to human-wildlife interactions (Bueddefeld, 2021).

Presenters:

Michelle Murphy, University of Alberta

Jill Bueddefeld, Catriona Dempsey, Vanessa Rodrigues

Dr. Jill Bueddefeld is a social scientist with expertise in learning and behaviour change. Michelle Murphy is a PhD student who studies human-wildlife coexistence in parks. A systematic literature review was conducted to advise Parks Canada on the human behaviour priority of the ‘Making Roads Safer for Wildlife Initiative’. The opportunity for Dr. Bueddefeld and Ms Murphy to present their work from a pragmatic project to a national audience will be beneficial in building their network and raising the profile of examples of successful academic collaborations with practitioners.