The mosaic of boreal wetlands and forest ecosystems, which represents a critically important global freshwater resource, is undergoing an extraordinary transformative change that is having profound impacts on boreal ecosystem function, water management practices, and source water protection. Moreover, urbanization, natural resources development, and an intensification in climate-mediated natural water disasters (e.g. drought, wildfire) are placing ever-increasing threats and risks to human health and safety, and the economies associated with Canadian boreal communities, industry and infrastructure. For example, the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire, mediated by the burning of very dry peatlands, destroyed 2,400 homes and resulted in an estimated economic damage of $8.9B. Given the complexity and challenges of this boreal wildland-society-water issues, ta transdisciplinary team of academic and government researchers, industry users, NGOs, and key provincial and national stakeholders have been assembled to co-develop a more effective water futures risk assessment (WFRA) framework for Canada's Boreal region. Phase 1 of the Boreal Water Futures (BorealWaterFutures.ca) provides both a next-generation future climate and extreme weather product and future wildfire regimes prediction tool for provincial and federal government agencies, NGOs and industries. Boreal Water Futures has leveraged existing infrastructure and partner in-kind support to develop an evidence-based pan-Canadian Boreal Observation Network to reduce uncertainties on the vulnerability of ecosystem services catastrophic collapse. Ducks Unlimited Canada is both a stakeholder and user within the Boreal Water Futures program. As the Principle Investigator of Boreal Water Futures, in this webinar, I will discuss current scientific knowledge and futures research to better predict the effect of climate and land-use change on boreal wetlands. Wetlands very likely are the most critical ecosystem within Canada's boreal region and this "Boreal Water Futures" webinar also serves as a catalyst to develop stronger partnerships and to co-develop strategic research programs and monitoring programs aimed at understanding how wetland form and function may change and how restoration and adaptation strategies might be used to build boreal resilience to minimized risk.
Related Resources
Primary Drivers of Reptile Overwintering Habitat Suitability: Integrating Wetland Ecohydrology and Spatial Complexity
Resource Date:
June
2020
Organization
Webinar - iWETLAND: Managing Species at Risk Habitat through Wetland Water Level Citizen Science
Resource Date:
October
2020
Organization
The Biophysical Climate Mitigation Potential of Boreal Peatlands During the Growing Season
Resource Date:
October
2020
Organization
Webinar - Peatlands in Canada: Linking Science, Policy, and Practice to Protect an Essential Carbon Service
Resource Date:
September
2020
Seismic Lines in Treed Boreal Peatlands as Analogs for Wildfire Fuel Modification Treatments
Resource Date:
June
2020
Organization
Wetland Knowledge Exchange September 2020 Newsletter
Resource Date:
September
2020
Was this helpful?
|