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Ecosystem-Based Management is an approach to
guiding human activity using collaborative, interdisciplinary,
and adaptive methods with long-term goals of sustaining desired
future conditions of ecologically bounded areas that, in turn,
support healthy, sustainable communities. (Quinn, 2003).
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Programs Three
core Program Areas have been designed to enhance Miistakis role as a facilitator
of ecosystem management in the Crown of the Continent Region.
Facilitation
of ecosystem-based research and management in the Crown of the Continent
The
challenge of an ecosystem based approach to land conservation is the need for
a high level of cooperation between stakeholders. It requires sectors and communities
to build relationships and work together to understand and define sustainable
land practices. Miistakis plays a pivotal role in facilitating workshops that
promote working together across multiple sectors over a large landscape. By broadening
and strengthening relationships Miistakis goal is to assist stakeholders in moving
toward landscape conservation whereby habitat and socioeconomic needs are balanced.Projects
in this program area include:
Geospatial
analysis and research in the transboundary Crown of the Continent region
Ecosystems
are complex and dynamic entities making land management difficult and unpredictable.
Miistakis strives to deliver high quality research products that strengthen the
biological foundation for land managers and people interested in the Crown. To
do this, Miistakis develops unique geographic datasets to be used in landscape
scale analysis and planning for sustainability across multiple jurisdictions.
Through close partnerships with government, industry and non-governmental organizations,
Miistakis is able to focuses specific research projects around core issues and
data gaps identified by key participants in the region.
Projects in this
program area include:
Creation
of web based tools to disseminate spatial and biological information
Miistakis
recognizes the need for ready access to biodiversity and spatial information and
creates on-line interactive tools to access biological information. These tools
can be used to link species information from a variety of electronic databases
into a user friendly interface or as a planning and communication tool within
or between organizations. Projects in this program
area include:
Communication
services and technical support
In an effort to
strengthen ties between scientists, conservationists and other special interest
groups, Miistakis provides web programming and hosting services. We currently
hosts the Crown Managers Partnership and Bow Valley Grizzly Bear Alliance web
sites. In addition Miistakis continues to host listservs for groups interested
in ecosystem based issues in the Crown. In
2002, Miistakis offered GIS support to students from the University of Calgary,
University of Lethbridge and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. In
addition Miistakis provided GIS and technological support to graduate students
and faculty and hired students to fill intern research positions.
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