Alberta Biodiversity Conservation (ABC) Research Program – Phase 2

This Phase 2 ABC program is a 5-year plan to address themes related to biodiversity conservation and management in the oil sands region of Alberta. It builds on Phase 1 by addressing research gaps and aligning with COSIA Biodiversity Working Group priorities. Phase 1 supported work on responses of vascular plants and butterflies to seismic lines as affected by edge effects, line width, and synergistic effects with wildfires. Phase 2 focuses on: (1) songbirds and bats via acoustic assessments; (2) wildlife (wood bison and caribou); and (3) an overall risk assessment for terrestrial biodiversity to landscape change. Projects listed and budgeted for in the ABC Scope of Work document include: 1-1 Biodiversity risk assessment; 2-1 Value of human-influenced wetlands; 2-2 Risk of incidental take of woodpeckers; 2-3a Bats: Distribution & habitat models; 2-3b Bats: Effects of light & mitigation ; 2-4 Wood bison: Disturbances & wetlands; 2-5 Wood bison: Disturbances & mitigation; 2-6 Caribou: Black bear predation on caribou neonates; 2-7 Caribou: Net change in caribou habitat; 2-8 Caribou: Disturbance scales & trends; 2-9 Caribou: Wildfires & early seral habitat; and 2-10 Caribou: Lichens, disturbance, climate change.

This program is ongoing; so far, only two projects under it’s umbrella have submitted documents to the project: (1) from the Neilsen lab, Boissonneault’s MSc project on changes in tree structure and composition along boreal forest edges in Alberta’s in situ oil sands footprints, which found trends towards higher density and higher mortality of small trees on edges of disturbances and larger dead conifer snags in interior forest, with more study needed to flesh out findings and investigate how they effect birds using tree cavities, especially pileated woodpeckers; and (2) from the Bayne lab, a Pileated Woodpecker Mapping Tool for Alberta.