Simulation of protected area and forestry cutblock design in the boreal plain ecoregion

Spatial and statistical analyses are becoming more commonplace in planning for conservation and land-use programs. I used specific spatial and statistical analyses to examine their potential for answering questions posed by stakeholders in the boreal plain ecoregion regarding the strategic placement of protected areas and forestry cutblocks on the retention of ecological integrity. I found that neither strategic placement nor size significantly affect the retention of ecological integrity within protected areas. Additionally, I found that clustering new forestry cutblocks near existing disturbances did not significantly affect the loss of connectivity, though doubling the expected area of harvest did increase the loss of certain connectivity metrics. The conclusions drawn from this thesis are relevant to landscape planners and conservation managers, but should be paired with the results of biological studies to better represent the reality of complex ecosystems.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Environmental Design (MEDes)

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Environmental Design

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Fauvelle, Catherine

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Galpern, Paul

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Tyler, Mary Ellen
• Alexander, Shelley

• Landscape Architecture
• Urban and Regional Planning
• Forestry and Wildlife
• Ecology

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/27786

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/3997