A Proposed Framework To Assess Cumulative Environmental Effects In Canadian National Parks

This report proposes a framework that promotes cumulative impact assessment (CEA) as a decision-making process where information on the ecological integrity of national parks is integrated into park management planning. Research for the development of the framework includes a literature review, interviews with park managers and cumulative effects specialists, and field work in two Atlantic region parks. Two illustrations using a project from each park helped refine the framework and ensure its utility. The framework links three components: sources of cumulative environmental change, assessment of this change, and the options available to manage cumulative effects. The framework establishes a link between local effects induced by specific projects or activities and overall park ecological integrity by highlighting the relationship between project-specific environmental assessment and park planning. CEA is the bridge between these two management activities. The report focuses mainly on the assessment portion of the framework and provides a series of steps to assist in conducting CEAs. The steps are organized into three tiers of analysis that correlate with regional, park, and project site scales. The framework also directs the assessor to examine broad temporal scales.

The world's ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human development. Ecological impact assessment (EcIA) is used to predict and evaluate the impacts of development on ecosystems and their components,thereby providing the information needed to ensure that ecological issues are given full and proper consideration in development planning. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) has emerged as a key to sustainable development by integrating social, economic and environmental issues in many countries. EcIA has a major part to play as a component of EIA but also has other potential applications in environmental planning and management. Ecological Impact Assessment provides a comprehensive review of the EcIA process and summarizes the ecological theories and tools that can be used to understand, explain and evaluate the ecological consequences of development proposals. It is intended for the many individuals and companies involved in EIA and EcIA, as well as other areas of environmental management where impacts on ecosystems need to be evaluated. It will benefit planners, regulators, environmental consultants and scientists and will also provide an invaluable sourcebook and guide for the growing number of undergraduate students taking courses in applied ecology, EIA and related topics in environmental science. A practical management guide for the increasing numbers of practitioners of EcIA. A rapidly expanding subject driven by the proliferation of environmental legislation worldwide.

Prince Edward Island National Park is a narrow coastal strip on the Island's north shore, established in 1937 as a recreational seaside park. The purpose of the Park within Parks Canada's representative system plan is to protect an example of the Maritime Plain natural region, in particular the coastal barrier beaches and dune systems. The agency's ability to protect the Park's resources is being inhibited by the popularity of the beaches as recreational destinations, and the cumulative impact of visitor pressure, Park developments, and Park practices threatens the sustainability of the Park ecosystem. This study addresses the concern over cumulative environmental impacts in the Park and includes an introduction on cumulative effects assessment, an extensive literature review, and assessment of cumulative effects of previous, current, and proposed developments in the Park. The significance of the impacts on key resources is discussed and mitigation measures are suggested with regard to natural habitat, aquatic systems, flora, and fauna. Recommendations are made for preserving park habitat and establishing monitoring programs.

Cumulative effects assessment (CEA) seeks to overcome the weaknesses inherent in conventional project-focused environmental assessment by expanding the spatial and temporal boundaries of the assessment. In this study, the assessment boundaries include the six broad systems contained in Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, as well as the park as a whole and land outside but adjacent to park boundaries. The first section is a brief overview of cumulative effects, CEA, and the CEA approach used in the study. The second section introduces the park's natural and cultural resources along with the natural changes occurring within the park. The third section reviews legislation, policy, and plants guiding park management in order to identify the goals and targets critical for focusing the study and for evaluating the importance of effects. The fourth section describes past, present, and proposed projects and activities in the park and region and their environmental effects. The final section identifies important cumulative effects issues and discusses the importance of these effects.

This important Handbook is an essential guide to the state-of-the-art concepts, debates and innovative practices in the field of cumulative impact assessment. It helps to strengthen the foundations of this challenging field, identify key issues demanding solutions and summarize recent trends in forward progress, particularly through the use of illustrative case examples.