Conservation offsets are a legitimate and effective tool that governments across the world have used to support responsible resource development and environmental outcomes. Conservation offsets are the “measurable conservation outcomes that result from actions designed to compensate for significant residual adverse environmental impacts arising from development”[1]. Often offset programs require developers to first avoid, reduce [...]
This story originally appeared in the Alberta Native Plant Council‘s newsletter, Iris, published November 2014. If a botanist went for a walk in the Lower Athabasca region of Alberta, how likely would it be that he would encounter a rare plant species? How long in kilometres or time would she have to walk to find one? If [...]
On February 17, more than 300 people attended the ABMI’s second annual Speakers’ Series, Better Environmental Management Through Monitoring 2015. Facilitated by Brian Keating, host of the program Going Wild and former head of conservation outreach at the Calgary Zoo, the day brought together presenters from the ABMI and other organizations to talk about their work [...]
This story originally appeared in AEMERA’s Newsletter, published March 31, 2015. “The approval holder shall provide a plan or participate in the development of a plan for the monitoring and mitigation of the Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) by [given date] to the satisfaction of the Director…” – Approval condition for oil sands mine project The [...]
If you’ve ever listened to a forest in the spring, the sound you hear is dozens of birds singing and calling to one another: sending and receiving signals with sound. It may sound like just noise to some, but there is an underlying pattern. It turns out that you could say the same thing when [...]
How many different species of wild bees would you guess we have here in Alberta? How many can you name? Most people drastically underestimate the diversity of bees that call this province home and think of them only as either bumblebees or honeybees. The reality is much richer, with a surprising estimate of over 300 [...]
Here are five things you should know about ecosystem services, and you can learn more on our new website: www.ecosystemservices.abmi.ca! 1. Ecosystem services are benefits provided by natural systems that contribute to our well-being and health. The ABMI, through the Ecosystem Services Assessment project, has come up with ways to measure these benefits so that [...]
It’s the Goldilocks principle. All species, including plants, animals, and fungi, are uniquely adapted to a specific combination of climate and environmental conditions that they need to grow, reproduce and thrive – things need to be “just right”. If the environment changes, species have two choices: they can either stay where they are and adapt [...]