Boreal Information Centre Features
The BEACONs Project: Conservation Planning in Canada’s Boreal Region
The Canadian BEACONs Project was founded in recognition of the need for a “made in Canada” approach to conservation planning in Canada's boreal region. As one of the most intact ecosystems remaining in the world, Canada’s boreal offers the opportunity to move away from reactive conservation planning and fundamentally shift the way we approach conservation. Rather than default to the classic model of protected areas embedded in a largely hostile landscape, the BEACONs Project offers a vision of pro-active conservation planning for relatively intact systems called the Conservation-Matrix Model Read More.Alberta Atlas: Intact Landscape in Transition
Global Forest Watch Canada produced the Atlas of Alberta: The Last Great Intact Forests of Canada, which focuses on Alberta's intact forest landscapes and key conservation values. The Atlas also identifies key threats to future conservation. Global Forest Watch Canada provided this atlas, with its more than 125 maps, in the hope that it will assist Albertans and Canadians in their efforts to sustainably manage their forest legacy. Read More.Canadian Voting Trends: Developing More Effective Environmental Outreach
Canadian environmental groups are facing less sympathetic governments even though the environment remains a top-line concern of Canadians. To reverse this, some groups conducting more sophisticated outreach. Unfortunately, limited voting data exist in Canada and voter lists are available only to political parties. In the face of declining turnouts, limited resources and restrictive laws, how can non-profit organizations effect political outcomes on environmental values? Read more.
Woodland Caribou: Indicator of Boreal Forest Health
Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are formally listed as Threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act (SARA). A recent study published by Environment Canada found that Canada's woodland caribou are in trouble, as with most other caribou herds world-wide. Forty-one of the 57 recognized woodland caribou herds are either not or potentially not self-sustaining. Read More.
Oil Sands: Impacts of Development in the Canadian Boreal
Oil sands, also known as tar sands, or extra heavy oil, are naturally occurring mixtures of sand or clay, water and an extremely dense and viscous form of petroleum called bitumen. Oil are found in large amounts throughout the world, but are found in extremely large quantities in Canada, especially the northeastern portion of the province of Alberta, and in Venezuela. Read more.
Indigenous Boreal Lands: Utilizing Mapping Technology to Influence Management
In Canada, there are over 2,300 First Nation Reserves with a total area of 3 million hectares, of which 1.4 million hectares are forested (Natural Resources Canada, 2009). Over the past two decades, efforts have been made to include Aboriginal peoples in the planning and assessment process of forest resource management throughout Canada. Read More.
