Parks Canada Approach to Indicators First Meeting of Working Group on the simplification of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire and the setting up of indicators 6-7 November 2006 John Pinkerton

Overview Ecological integrity Commemorative integrity Visitor Experience, and Public Information and Education Application to World Heritage?

Ecological Integrity For national parks… maintenance of EI is first priority in park management EI defined as condition determined to be characteristic of natural region and likely to persist, including abiotic components and composition and abundance of native species and biological communities, rates of change and supporting processes.

Species richness - change in species richness* - numbers and extent of exotics* Population Dynamics - mortality/natility rates of indicator species* - immigration/emigration of indicator species* - population viability of indicator species* Trophic structure - size class distribution of all taxa -predation levels Succession/retrogression - disturbance frequencies and size (fire. insects, flooding)* - vegetation age class distributions* Productivity - landscape or by site Decomposition -by site Nutrient retention -Ca, N by site Human land-use patterns - land use maps, roads densities, population densities.* Habitat fragmentation - patch size, inter-patch distance, forest interior* Pollutants* - sewage, petrochemicals etc. - long-range transport of toxics Climate* - weather data - frequency of extreme events Other* -park specific issues BiodiversityProcess and FunctionStressors Ecological Integrity Monitoring Framework BiodiversityProcess and functionStressors

EI Monitoring Program Within “bioregional” groups, each park developing 6-8 indicators for EI… to provide comprehensive assessment of elements of EI monitoring framework to answer 2 questions… What is the state of park EI? What are we doing to improve it? Condition and trendManagement effectiveness

Targets, Baselines and Thresholds 42 Dry Weight Loss of Wood Decomposition Standard (percent dry weight loss) High EIconcernedEI Impaired target confidence interval thresholds baseline 82 ‘precautionary principle’ 62 42

Summary Table State of the Park Report 2005 Gros Morne National Park

Commemorative Integrity Key responsibility of Parks Canada Agency is to ensure “commemorative integrity” in management and use of national historic sites (NHS) applies to all national historic sites “integrity” refers to wholeness, health and honesty “commemorative” refers to reasons for national significance (ie: why was this place commemorated) for each NHS, Commemorative Integrity Statement (CIS) developed and use as basis for management

A national historic site possesses commemorative integrity when the resources directly related to the reasons for designation as national historic site are not impaired or under threat when the reasons for designation as a national historic site are effectively communicated to the public,and when the site’s heritage values (including those not related to the reasons for designation) are respected in all decisions and actions affecting the site

CI Evaluation Tool for NHS Questionnaire using CIS as foundation document Identifies level and impact of threats to NHS Measures the three CI elements: - condition of all known cultural resources - effectiveness of communication of messages - effectiveness of selected management practices Ratings of : Green Yellow Red Rating (1 to 10) for overall state of site’s CI

Presentation of CI Evaluation Results Resource Condition: Overall Y Resources related to reasons for designation Y Resources not related to reasons for designation G Cultural Resources Types: Landscape Features G Buildings, Structures R Archaeological Sites R Objects G Designated Place Y Other Heritage ResourcesN/R

Visitor Experience and Public Information and Education Parks Canada mandate: protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations Strong focus on visitor experience, and public information and education Indicators being developed

Application to World Heritage? Indicators based on clear accountabilities – EI, CI on clear understanding of resource values – EI monitoring framework, CI statement Indicators conceived to assess “state of…” (condition and trend) and tied to management action to communicate quickly to broad audience but also allow more in-depth study Limited number of indicators, based on larger number of measures, data sets human and financial capacity limitations

Application to World Heritage? Before developing indicators, be clear about accountabilities – OUV, authenticity/integrity, management/protection Think about audience, what information is for and who will use it Be realistic about capacity to monitor and report on indicators