Cumulative Impact Management: Cumulative Impact Indicators and Thresholds

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Cumulative Impact ManagementCumulative Impact
Indicators and Thresholds

• Presented by
• Salmo Consulting Inc. and
• AXYS Environmental Consulting Ltd.
• in association with
• Diversified Environmental ServicesGAIA
  Consultants Inc.Forem Technologies Ltd.
• May 29-30, 2003

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Introduction

• Indicators and thresholds
• Speed limits for Cumulative Impact Management
  (CIM)
• Case Studies
• Applying local information and knowledge in
  development of made-for-Northeast BC thresholds
• Moving Forward
• Using thresholds in Northeast British Columbia as
  part of a broader Sustainable Resource
  Development Strategy

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Cumulative Impact Indicators What are they?

• Used to describe or monitor environmental or land
  use conditions
• Provide common language for planning, assessment,
  management, monitoring, and research
• Should be simple and easy to use
• Should be numerical and easily calculated
• Complementary suite of land use and habitat
  indicators most practical for CIM

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Cumulative Impact IndicatorsRecommended Suite
for Northeast BC

• Land use Indicators
• Access density
• Stream crossing index
• Habitat Indicators
• Core area
• Patch and corridor size

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Cumulative Impact ThresholdsWhat are they?

• Objective, science-based standards
• Linked to cumulative impact indicators
• Clearly define desired outcome and acceptable
  change
• Recognize social, economic, and political factors
• Can be used to evaluate acceptability of both
  project-specific and regional cumulative impacts
• Already used in BC
• Air and water quality thresholds
• Efficient and results-based
• Tied to enhanced review and management decisions

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Cumulative Impact ThresholdsWhat are they?
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Cumulative Impact ThresholdsTiered Thresholds

• Reflect increasing degrees of concern
• Provide a clear and integrated framework for
  assessment and management
• Incorporate ecological, social, and economic
  values
• Operating rules clear for all parties
• Provide flexibility
• Different land management regimes
• Full spectrum of development proposals

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Cumulative Impact ThresholdsTiered Thresholds

• Cautionary Thresholds
• Early warning
• Enhanced protection measures and monitoring
• Ensures local data available
• Target Thresholds
• Acceptable value or range
• Restrictive protection measures and monitoring
• Critical Thresholds
• Maximum acceptable value
• Impact management designed to keep indicator
  below this value

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Understanding the Landscape Case Studies

• Detailed evaluations in Blueberry and Sukunka
  Case Study areas
• Document land use, fish and wildlife trends
• Test CIM indicators and thresholds
• Evaluate utility of readily-available data
• Simulate future resource trends

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Understanding the Landscape Case Study Findings

• Readily-available resource data limits analyses
• Access density and core area indicators both
  statistically related to moose and elk population
  indices
• Predictive power equivalent to more detailed and
  costly habitat indicators
• Published access density relationships may not
  apply directly to Northeast BC
• ALCES simulations provide valuable historical and
  future insights

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Impact ManagementCandidate Thresholds

• Made-for-Northeast BC values developed as
  starting point
• Tiered thresholds linked to LRMP management zones
• Measure of acceptable change
• Results-based management
• Focused on project review, but generally
  applicable

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Northeast BC LRMP Zones
Resource Management Zone
Management Intent
Protected Areas
Environment PriorityDevelopment Not Allowed
Special Management Zones
Environment and Wilderness PriorityLimited
DevelopmentSpecial Protection Measures
General Resource Management Zones
Multiple Use PriorityExtensive Development
Enhanced Protection Measures
Development Priority Extensive Development
Standard Protection Measures
Enhanced Resource Development Zones
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Candidate ThresholdsAcceptable Change

• Protected Areas/Special Management Zones
• Managed to protect wildlife or wilderness values
• Primary source habitat for all species
• Relatively undisturbed areas for wilderness and
  backcountry recreation
• Very Low Risk
• Thresholds established below lowest detected
  effect level for the most sensitive species

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Candidate ThresholdsAcceptable Change

• General Resource Management Zones
• Managed for wide variety of resource uses
• Secondary source habitat for most species
• Mixture of undisturbed and modified areas
• Low Risk
• Thresholds established below lowest detected
  effect level for most species
• More protective thresholds in defined Landscape
  Units
• Candidate woodland caribou thresholds
• Identified wildlife grizzly bear and bull trout
  thresholds

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Candidate ThresholdsAcceptable Change

• Enhanced Resource Development Zones
• Managed for intensive resource development
• Neutral or sink habitat for most species
• Primarily human-modified areas
• Moderate Risk
• Thresholds established to sustain most species
• More protective thresholds in defined Landscape
  Units
• Candidate woodland caribou thresholds
• Identified wildlife grizzly bear and bull trout
  thresholds

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Candidate Access Threshold Example
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Impact ManagementUsing Thresholds

• Develop definitions of acceptable change
• Use candidate thresholds as a foundation
• Evaluate ecological, social, and economic
  implications
• Develop standardized methods
• Provide required land use data
• Implement a pilot study to validate thresholds
  and optimize analysis, reporting, and review
  methods
• Continue monitoring to refine thresholds and
  impact management

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Thresholds and CIMSustainable Resource
Management

• Generalized landscape and watershed thresholds
  (e.g. access density) and local/species-specific
  thresholds can be applied to all activities in
  region
• Local OGC Project Screener
• Sub-regional Identified Wildlife guidelines
• RMZs Regional planning and management
• Provincial State of the Environment reporting
• Ongoing monitoring of indicator status and
  species response

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Sustainable Resource Management
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