Parks Canada Approach to Indicators

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Parks Canada Approach to Indicators

• First Meeting of Working Group on the
  simplification of the Periodic Reporting
  questionnaire and the setting up of indicators
• 6-7 November 2006
• John Pinkerton

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Overview

• Ecological integrity
• Commemorative integrity
• Visitor Experience, and Public Information and
  Education
• Application to World Heritage?

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Ecological Integrity

• For national parks
• maintenance of EI is first priority in park
  management
• EI defined as condition determined to be
  characteristic of natural region and likely to
  persist, including abiotic components and
  composition and abundance of native species and
  biological communities, rates of change and
  supporting processes.

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Ecological Integrity Monitoring Framework
Biodiversity
Process and Function
Stressors
Biodiversity
Process and function
Stressors

• Species richness
• - change in species richness
• - numbers and extent of exotics
• Population Dynamics
• - mortality/natility rates of indicator species
• - immigration/emigration of indicator species
• - population viability of indicator species
• Trophic structure
• - size class distribution of all taxa
• predation levels

• Succession/retrogression
• - disturbance frequencies and size (fire.
  insects, flooding)
• - vegetation age class distributions
• Productivity
• - landscape or by site
• Decomposition
• -by site
• Nutrient retention
• Ca, N by site

• Human land-use patterns
• - land use maps, roads densities, population
  densities.
• Habitat fragmentation
• - patch size, inter-patch distance, forest
  interior
• Pollutants
• - sewage, petrochemicals etc.
• - long-range transport of toxics
• Climate
• - weather data
• - frequency of extreme events
• Other
• park specific issues

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EI Monitoring Program

• Within bioregional groups, each park developing
  6-8 indicators for EI
• to provide comprehensive assessment of elements
  of EI monitoring framework
• to answer 2 questions

What is the state of park EI?
What are we doing to improve it?
Condition and trend
Management effectiveness
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Targets, Baselines and Thresholds
thresholds
target
precautionary principle
confidence interval
High EI
concerned
EI Impaired
25
42
82
62
62
42
30
20
baseline
Dry Weight Loss of Wood Decomposition
Standard (percent dry weight loss)
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Summary Table State of the Park Report 2005
Gros Morne National Park
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Commemorative Integrity

• Key responsibility of Parks Canada Agency is to
  ensure commemorative integrity in management
  and use of national historic sites (NHS)
• applies to all national historic sites
• integrity refers to wholeness, health and
  honesty
• commemorative refers to reasons for national
  significance (ie why was this place
  commemorated)
• for each NHS, Commemorative Integrity Statement
  (CIS) developed and use as basis for management

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A national historic site possesses commemorative
integrity

• when the resources directly related to the
  reasons for designation as national historic site
  are not impaired or under threat
• when the reasons for designation as a national
  historic site are effectively communicated to the
  public,and
• when the sites heritage values (including those
  not related to the reasons for designation) are
  respected in all decisions and actions affecting
  the site

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CI Evaluation Tool for NHS

• Questionnaire using CIS as foundation document
• Identifies level and impact of threats to NHS
• Measures the three CI elements
• - condition of all known cultural resources
• - effectiveness of communication of messages
• - effectiveness of selected management
  practices
• Ratings of Green Yellow Red
• Rating (1 to 10) for overall state of sites CI

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Presentation of CI Evaluation Results
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Visitor Experience and Public Information and
Education

• Parks Canada mandate protect and present
  nationally significant examples of Canadas
  natural and cultural heritage, and foster public
  understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways
  that ensure the ecological and commemorative
  integrity of these places for present and future
  generations
• Strong focus on visitor experience, and public
  information and education
• Indicators being developed

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Application to World Heritage?

• Indicators based on
• clear accountabilities EI, CI
• on clear understanding of resource values EI
  monitoring framework, CI statement
• Indicators conceived to
• assess state of (condition and trend) and tied
  to management action
• to communicate quickly to broad audience but also
  allow more in-depth study
• Limited number of indicators, based on larger
  number of measures, data sets
• human and financial capacity limitations

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Application to World Heritage?

• Before developing indicators, be clear about
  accountabilities OUV, authenticity/integrity,
  management/protection
• Think about audience, what information is for and
  who will use it
• Be realistic about capacity to monitor and report
  on indicators