Resources – Ecosystems

This guide proposes to standardize the use of environmental economic assessment tools by looking at key components, the definition of ecosystem goods and services, and the methods to ascertain their usefulness. The guide is divided into theoretical and conceptual sections covering the economic evaluation of amenities, non-commercial natural resources and a practical perspective through four case studies.

Options for adaptation to climate change in the management of prairie grasslands were examined. Adaptation options were structured according to the “three Rs”: (i) create resistance to change (short-term adaptation), (ii) promote resilience to change (medium-term adaptation) and (iii) enable ecosystems to respond to change (long-term adaptation). Existing government programs that address climate change in grassland management are reviewed.

This report is intended to aid in the development of climate change adaptation options that biologists and resource managers can implement to help species and habitats in the Prairie provinces cope with the impacts of climate change. The Alberta Species at Risk program is used as a case study to perform a gap analysis with regards to the integration of climate change information in species status assessments and recovery planning.

This report includes a review of adaptation options for addressing vulnerabilities of Manitoba grasslands and summaries for three different workshops: (i) Agricultural Climate Change Adaptive Planning Workshop, (ii) Exploring Options for Manitoba’s Forage and Beef Sectors to Adapt to Climate Change Workshop and (iii) Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change – Next Steps Planning Session.

This study addresses topics related to wildland fire and climate change in the Canadian Prairie provinces. Specifically, it calculates the historical values of fire season length, wind speed and atmospheric moisture; determines trends in historical fire season length, wind speed and atmospheric moisture; and estimates future fire season length, wind speed and atmospheric moisture. It compares these estimates with current observations.

This assessment follows the Guidebook for Assessing Vulnerability developed by the Climate Change Task Force of the Canadian Council of Forest Minister and explores the vulnerability of the Sandilands Provincial Forest, one of the Province of Manitoba’s most highly utilized forests. The objective of the vulnerability assessment is to identify sensitivity to predicted climate change and explore potential adaptation options.

This report contributes to PRAC’s forestry component and focuses on developing a vulnerability assessment and targeted adaptation options for a specific area within the boreal forest fringe of Saskatchewan, the Island Forests.

The purpose of this report is to assess the vulnerability to climate change of native grasslands and other natural ecosystems in the Prairie Ecozone of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. A detailed review of the scientific literature was conducted. In addition, ecoclimatic models were developed specifically for the Prairie Ecozone.

The purpose of this report is to assess the vulnerability to climate change of the native prairie and associated natural ecosystems of southern Manitoba. A detailed review of the scientific literature was conducted. In addition, ecoclimatic models were developed specifically for the Prairie Ecozone.

The purpose of this report is to provide a review of the vulnerabilities, risks and adaptation options for a number of proposed climate change impacts on the southern edge of Canada’s western boreal forest. Vulnerabilities and risks were established by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development using the Climate Change Adaptation Framework.

This guide has been prepared to help communities in British Columbia identify and prepare for some of the impacts of climate change. It provides information on how you can use urban forests to manage some of the impacts of changing climates, and how to adapt these urban forests so that they survive and thrive in future climates. Findings from this report may be applicable for other regions.