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Biodiversity and land disturbance activities in oil sands monitoring work plans 2014 to 2015

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Table 5: biodiversity and land disturbance monitoring implementation plan activities

Acronyms

ESRD

Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

EC

Environment Canada

WBEA

Wood Buffalo Environmental Association

LICA

Lakeland Industry and Community Association

ABMI

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

BAM

The Boreal Avian Modelling Project - University of Alberta

DU

Ducks Unlimited Canada

EMCLA

Ecological Monitoring Committee for the Lower Athabasca

Element: core terrestrial biodiversity monitoring
Commitment for 2014 to 2015 Proposed responsible organization Approved budget
ABMI core program    

Status and trend biodiversity program across 20X20 km regularized grid. Region includes 3 oil sand areas(Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace) and all areas within the Lower Athabasca regional planning area. Core field data collection at 82 upland sites, 82 wetland sites and 82 winter mammal sites = $3,200,000The remainder of the budget is allocated toward:

  1. Core laboratory processing and identification for82 sites
  2. Core remote sensing for JOSM region
  3. Data QA/QC and management
  4. Scientific analysis and results presentation
 ADMI $4,651,120
Enhanced moose and deer monitoring    
Aerial surveys of 2-3 wildlife management units within the oil sands area. Trial distance sampling methodologyin Wildlife Measurment Units with low densities of target species.Augments annual ESRD survey efforts for allocation purposes. ESRD $282,000
Element: cause-effect monitoring
Commitment for 2014 to 2015 Proposed responsible organization Approved budget
Additional ABMI off-grid sampling to improve effects assessment    
One-time or short-term sampling at 12 targeted sitesusing standardized ABMI protocols. Targeted sitesstrengthen understanding of how specific humanfootprint types affect biodiversity. ABMI
$188,000
Land birds effect assessment monitoring    
Field data collection to address knowledge gaps on song bird response to oil sands footprint. Integration of oil sands footprint data into bird habitatmodels at local scales. Comparison and integration of local-scale models with landscape-scale models to determine impacts of oilsands. EC
$572,460
Data and analytical support to land birds effect assessment monitoring    
Provision of expertise, analyses and standardization of existing data for modelling of impact of oil sands onmigratory birds
Development of landscape-scale models of oil sands impacts on land birds, including comparison and integration with Canadian Wildlife Services local-scale efforts		 BAM
$70,500
Waterfowl effects assessment and trend monitoring    

Effects assessment monitoring of waterfowl: sampling for distribution and settlement patterns, and bird habitat model development

  • breeding waterfowl-habitat association model development using existing data
  • surveys to inform cause-effect relationships between oil sands development and waterfowl
 EC/DU $263,200
Element: measurement harmonization
Commitment for 2014 to 2015 Proposed responsible organization Approved budget
Protocol development - wetland birds, amphibians, owls  
Protocol refinement for the use of automated recording units (ARUs) as a monitoring tool for vocalizing species, with a focus on wetlands birds (specifically the Yellow Rail), amphibians, and owls EMCLA $235,000
Protocol development - rare plants    
Developing an adaptive sampling model for rare plants in northeastern Alberta. Includes the development of constraints mapping tools relating to probability of rare plant occurrence. Work will also be initiated to explore methods for population level monitoring for individual rare species EMCLA $235,000
Element: human disturbance footprint monitoring
Commitment for 2014 to 2015 Proposed responsible organization Approved budget
Augment human footprint mapping    
Augmented ABMI standard human footprint mapping protocols to determine amount and location of human footprint and to determine ecological contribution thatvegetated human footprint in the oil sands is making toward biodiversity stewardship. Quantify and track recovery in reclaimed landscapes. ABMI $211,500
Element: habitat monitoring
Commitment for 2014 to 2015 Proposed responsible organization Approved budget
Augment habitat/ecosite mapping    
Habitat/ecosite mapping protocols program to mapwetland habitat features, determine ecosites for ther egion and support research into remote sensing that will cost-effectively track structural recovery of vegetation on seismic lines. ABMI/ESRD $308,320
*Special note: Biodiversity co-leads are to recommend how the 6% reduction they were asked to propose will be accommodated in their proposed projects, through discussion with the Biodiversity CAC.
   
Sub-total
$8,460,000
Grand total  
$50,517,249

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