Projects

Linking Indicators to Impacts in Cumulative Effects Assessment

  • Cumulative Effects Analysis
Project Number
3.275
Sub-project Number
3.278 3.280 3.282 3.283
Project Leader
Glenn Sutherland
Client Code
3
Client
BC Ministry of Forests
Interests
Government, Industry, NGO
Duration
2011–2014
Type
Natural Resources Planning
Region
British Columbia
Outcomes
  • produced projection models for terrestrial and aquatic ecological indicators
  • structured an approach for estimating impacts on Valued Components (VCs)
  • created methods which were then provided to CEA pilot projects
Cumulative Effects Analysis
100
Carbon Management
0

Project Description

Cumulative effects assessment is a required component of developing large projects. In previous projects (e.g., Klappan, SRWCP,  PMT) we have developed spatial models to project multiple industrial developments and their spatial effects through time. In this project we expanded these models and explored interactions between indicators that may influence how impacts on Valued Components (VCs) or key values are calculated.

3.280 Riparian Ecosystems KV BBNBased on a case study involving Independent Power Projects (IPPs), and forestry in a coastal BC planning unit, we investigated the interacting contributions of 'pressure' (development footprint) and 'condition' (ecological status) indicators to estimate cumulative effects. We found that impact classification for VCs demands a clear understanding of the underlying ecological processes and scale-of-effect for each type of indicator. Our findings are strengthening methodologies to effectively do carbon effects analysis, especially in strategic assessments of development sources at regional, provincial and national scales.3.275 Forestry

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