Biodiversity Conservation in Canada:
From Theory to Practice

1. An Introduction to Conservation

Defining Biodiversity

• Species diversity
• Genetic diversity
• Ecosystem diversity

The Biocentric and Social Models of Conservation

2. The Historical Foundations of Conservation

A New World

Nation Building

Early Twentieth‐Century Conservationists

• Game management
• Forest management
• Parks

Rise of the Machines

• Agriculture
• Forestry
• Oil and gas
• Mining

The Advent of Modern Conservation

• Origins of the environmental movement
• Indigenous influences
• From game to biodiversity

The War in the Woods

3. The Social and Political Dimensions of Conservation

The General Public

• Understanding public opinions and values
• Insights from social psychology

Environmentalists

• Who are the environmentalists?
• The ENGO ecosystem
• Setting priorities

Industry

• Industry and the environment
• Market forces
• Variability in company attitudes and approaches

Indigenous Communities

Government

• Policy equilibrium
• Policy change
• Current conservation policy
• Current conservation legislation

4. The Scientific Dimension of Conservation

The Evolution of Conservation Science

• Ecosystem services and “new conservation”

The Role of Science in Conservation Practice

• Policy-relevant research
• Challenges

The Role of Conservation Practitioners

• Institutional connections
• The controversy over advocacy

5. Threats to Biodiversity

Patterns of Decline

General Causes of Decline

Major Threats by Region

• The Agricultural South
• The Industrial Forest
• The Far North
• Marine

6. Species‐Level Conservation

Theoretical Foundation

• Insights from simple population models
• The natural range of variability
• Population decline
• Ecological thresholds
• Extinction dynamics
• Spatially structured populations
• Species range

Tactical Modelling

• Habitat models
• Population models
• Landscape models

Recovery Planning

• Overview of SARA
• Incorporating genetic diversity
• Setting objectives
• Identifying critical habitat

Taking Action

• Habitat protection
• Mitigating threats
• Augmentation and reintroduction

Trade‐Offs

• Prioritizing species: triage
• Lessons learned

7. Ecosystem‐Level Conservation

Objectives

• What are we trying to achieve?
• Defining the ecological reference state

Institutional Context

The Forestry Sector

• The natural disturbance model
• The natural disturbance model in practice
• Zonation

The Agricultural Sector

• Agricultural best practices
• The natural disturbance model in rangelands
• Restoration

Other Industrial Sectors

• Environmental impact assessment and mitigation
• Reclamation

Connectivity

Invasive Species Control

Integrated Regional Planning

• Ecosystem management
• Strategic environmental assessment
• Regional land-use planning
• Barriers to integration

8. Protected Areas

Theoretical Foundations

How Much Is Enough?

• Stretch targets

Systematic Conservation Planning

• Decision framing
• Selecting biodiversity surrogates
• Design objectives
• Generating design options
• Selecting the optimal design

The Social Dimension of Reserve Design

Regional Variations

• The Agricultural South
• The Industrial Forest
• The Far North
• Marine environments
• Other variations

Managing Reserves

• Threats
• Taking action

9. Climate Change

Canada’s Changing Climate

Ecological Responses

• Bioclimatic envelope models
• Vegetation responses
• Animal responses
• Indirect effects
• Change versus threat

The Foundations of Climate‐Ready Conservation

• Dynamic baselines
• Climate scenarios
• Robust decision making
• Institutional support

Ecosystem‐Level Conservation

• Protected areas
• Climate refugia
• Connectivity
• The natural disturbance model
• Restoration and reclamation
• Invasive species

Species‐Level Conservation

• Recovery plans
• Protected areas
• Assisted migration
• Population-level triage

10. Structured Decision Making

Introduction to Structured Decision Making

• The decision hierarchy
• The role of conservation practitioners

Decision Framing

• Obtaining social input

Objectives and Indicators

• Setting objectives
• Selecting indicators

Developing Management Alternatives

Predicting Outcomes

• Modelling approaches
• Handling uncertainty
• Expert opinion
• Traditional ecological knowledge

Identifying the Optimal Approach

• Stakeholder-based selection
• Systematic searches

Implementation and Learning

• Biodiversity monitoring
• Outcome monitoring
• Adaptive management

11. Case Studies

Introduction

1. Ecosystem Management

• Background
• The natural disturbance model
• The triad approach
• Integrated landscape management
• Decision making
• Analysis and conclusions

2. Land‐Use Planning

• Background
• The Alberta Land-use Framework
• The Lower Athabasca Regional Plan
• Protected areas
• Surface Water Quantity Management Framework
• The Biodiversity Management Framework
• Analysis and conclusions

3. Woodland Caribou

• Background
• Triage
• The federal recovery strategy
• The Alberta Range Plan
• Analysis and conclusions

4. Swift Fox

• Background
• Reintroduction program
• Multispecies action planning
• Analysis and conclusions

5. Walleye

• Background
• Recovery planning
• Analysis and conclusions

6. Reserve Design

• Background
• Selection criteria
• Identifying priority areas
• Analysis and conclusions

12. Conclusions

Conservation in Practice

Correlates of Success

Making a Difference

Glossary

Photo Credits

Bibliography

Index