Northeastern Alberta is one of the most rugged and remote regions of our province. It is home to many wildlife and plant species, and contains a diversity of different habitats including peatlands and forests, as well as unexpected habitats like sand dunes. It is also an area of significant economic importance to Alberta due to [...]
Come and learn about “Better Environmental Management Through Monitoring”, otherwise known as: Land use planning that accounts for the location and needs of Alberta’s rare plants and animals. Forest management that adjusts to shifting forests in an age of climate change. The development of market-based systems to value wetlands that store and purify water. These [...]
Sometimes, monitoring biodiversity is a giant game of hide and seek. Some species are rare. Others are elusive. In both cases, these types of species can be extremely difficult to monitor. The ABMI’s monitoring system was designed to track changes in groups of common plants and animals, not specifically to follow the status of individual [...]
Mapping rare plants and their habitats in Alberta’s Lower Athabasca region may help industry plan developments mindfully. In Alberta’s northeastern Lower Athabasca region, famously known for its bitumen-rich oil sands, there are more than industrial giants digging in the dirt for treasure. It’s also home to a treasure trove of extraordinary plant life, like the [...]
The work is cutting edge and it has just been released by the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) in a report by ABMI scientist Dr. Richard Schneider. “This report provides state-of-the-art projections of ecosystem changes in Alberta, at a level of detail previously unavailable,” says Schneider. Using climate change models selected to represent the full [...]
June 20, 2013. Extreme rainfall in parts of southern Alberta triggers catastrophic flooding – the worst in this province’s history. The toll: four dead, thousands without a place to live, and recovery costs in the billions. With insurance payments in Canada doubling every 5-10 years since 1980 due to severe weather events like this one, [...]
On June 21st, the grounds of the Calgary Stampede were literally underwater, submerged due to heavy and unrelenting rain in Southern Alberta. Amazingly, Stampede 101 opened “come hell or high water” on July 5th and was as fun and entertaining as ever. Flood recovery – at breakneck speed – set the dramatic context for the [...]
The ABMI is excited to announce its participation in Nature Alberta’s Young Naturalists Club Family Nature Nights in Edmonton this summer. The Young Naturalists Club is designed to provide (fun!) educational materials and field trips to youth and families who enjoy learning about nature and the wild outdoors. Registered YNC families receive resources through the [...]