Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity
There has been a shift from managing individual species
and their habitats toward managing the
ecosystem in which the species
reside. Although management of an individual species is often
required, managing ecosystems is a more effective approach to
maintaining the whole range of species that live in a geographical area
or landscape. This form of management is also described as
managing for biodiversity of the landscape.
The landscape approach for wildlife management is the
only practical way to cover all the species because it is almost
impossible to individually study all the animals that live in an area --
there are just too many. For example, protecting prairie wetland
communities will save habitats and populations of all the plants and animals
that live there, including the western blue flag and
leopard frog (both
threatened species). Maintaining healthy ecosystems is far more
effective than last-minute efforts to rescue individual species.
Alberta Environment works closely with other government
departments and services, university and private researchers,
landowners, conservation groups, and federal government agencies such as
the Canadian Wildlife Service and
Parks Canada to conserve the
biodiversity of our province.
Reprinted from Focus On Wildlife Management (1999) with permission of
Alberta Environment.
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