Monday, October 4, 2010

Parks Canada Lend a Hand to the Environment



'Official Parks Canada Logo'


As humans, we have a lot of control and power over different species of animals, the environment, and ecosystems. Humans often forget that the Earth isn’t for ourselves; instead we share the Earth with other animals, plants and other organisms, as it is their homes also.
Fortunately, many people and organizations around the world are taking steps to sustain the biodiversity of our ecosystems. One of these organizations is called “Parks Canada.” This organization exists to make efforts directed at maintaining ecosystems in intact ecosystems of native species, within national parks. We all know about the negative impacts humans have on the ecosystems, which include: adjacent land use, downstream effects of air and water pollution, invasion by exotic species and climate change. These ultimately lead to the loss of biodiversity.
One course of action Parks Canada is doing to prevent this is through the involvement in the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program as a means of integrating regional planning around parks. Parks Canada also follows ecosystem restoration, which is the process of intervening in an ecosystem to reestablish the mix of species, numbers and processes.


 
'Banff National Park Scenery'


Inventories of park ecosystem types are conducted periodically to provide an assessment of the distribution and condition of park ecosystems. Monitoring is another technique used by the organization to conserve biodiversity in national parks. Ecosystem monitoring measures changes in ecosystems over time. In Parks Canada, they manage ecosystems to maintain and restore ecological integrity (EI). In turn, ecological integrity is the healthy functioning of biological organisms within the ecosystem they inhabit.
Wildfires in national parks are risky. Although they are decomposers, they also prove to be a danger to many species of flora and fauna. ‘Fire Management’ has become a common term within different conservation organizations. This includes putting out wildfires that are threats to the people and to the park. No fire is left unattended. Instead, ‘prescribed’ fires are now used. These fires are ignited by park staff. How they are managed is planned before-hand. Trained specialists decide when, where, and under what limits such fires will be permitted to burn. They consider weather, type of vegetation, fire behavior, and terrain in order to burn safely and meet ecological goals. One way to inform visitors, families and individuals about the benefits and dangers of forests fires is to create a play for the audience. This is a brilliant plan because not only do the plays entertain people, it also educates them about the issue. Below is an example of one of these plays:




Many things are being done to sustain the biodiversity of our ecosystems. Many people have come to their senses, and plan to reverse the negative impact that we, as humans continue to have on the environment. Parks Canada proves to be an excellent example of a group of these positively influential people. They continue to help our planet, by helping our own country’s ground first.

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