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Habitat Fragmentation
Oil sands companies are not the only human users of the
boreal forest in northern Alberta. Forestry companies, hunters,
trappers, even people looking for recreational activities such as
boating or cross-country skiing, all share the boreal forest with its
natural inhabitants. The total effect of all this activity on the
forest is a concern - especially as more and more oil sands projects
begin operations. It is possible to limit cumulative impacts by
better planning and coordinating different uses of the forest.
Forestry companies and oil sands companies can cooperate to use the same
cut lines and roads through a process called Integrated Land Management
(ILM)
This kind of cooperation can also decrease the amount of
habitat fragmentation in the boreal forest. Increasingly Alberta's
remaining forested areas resemble islands of trees in a larger network
of cut lines, well sites, mines, pipeline corridors, forestry roads,
plant sites and human settlements. These disturbances can result
in species being introduced along forest margins, and the displacement
of other species. They can also encourage increased predation and
put some plants and animals at risk. For example, some naturalists
worry that the woodland caribou of northeastern Alberta may be
threatened by a combination of increased predation and competition for
food resources from deer and moose able to extend their ranges due to
habitat disturbances.
Reprinted with permission of Alberta Community Development, Cultural
Facilities and Historical Resources Division. For more information
on the Oilsands and the Environment visit the Oil
Sands Discovery Centre!
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