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  • OPEN ACCESS
    Can fisheries be “regenerative”? Adapting agroecological concepts for fisheries and the blue economy
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 6
    Regenerative design, in which agricultural practices are organized to work with nutrient cycles and successional processes, is increasingly being explored in food systems research and practice. In this commentary, I explore whether regenerative design concepts can be adapted to marine contexts, given increased global interest in the potential of marine ecosystems to support sustainable development, i.e., the blue economy. There are numerous fundamental ecological differences between terrestrial and marine ecologies that make it difficult to directly translate regenerative farming's focus on managing the nutrient cycle. However, building on a framework for regenerative food systems that focuses on how production activities are organized rather than the specific practices and technologies in use, I find multiple useful parallels to familiar patterns in the fisheries literature, specifically, fishing down the food web, poverty traps, and portfolio-based fishing. I conclude with a discussion of directions for research on regenerative fisheries and concerns regarding the potential for greenwashing under the banner of a regenerative blue economy.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    A policy scan related to assisted migration as a climate change adaptation tactic in Canada reveals major policy gaps
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 7
    Assisted migration is increasingly being considered as a potential climate change adaptation tactic even though it also comes with potential risk to ecosystems and society. When implementing conservation actions that involve risk, it is prudent to have policies and guidelines to ensure that such actions are conducted in ways that conform to regional standards and consider risks. Here, we report on a policy scan focused on assisted migration in the context of climate change adaptation originally as a protected areas tactic only, but then broadened to ecosystems in Canada beyond those boundaries. Policy scans are a useful strategy for understanding the evolving policy and regulatory landscape for a given topic and can guide the development of such policies in other jurisdictions. Our scan focused on Canada, where multi-scalar governance systems exist relevant to biodiversity and environmental management. Our comprehensive policy scan (involving scans of legislation, policies, and guidelines found online and through direct inquiries with government bodies) revealed major gaps in the assisted migration policy landscape with very few provincial/territorial or federal policies in Canada. A more rudimentary scan in the United States revealed a similar pattern. There was evidence that some jurisdictions anticipated need for such policies and even a few examples of very specific policies (e.g., seeds) that had already been developed, but there were not comprehensive policies or frameworks. Governments and other relevant bodies/organizations may wish to consider working collaboratively toward the development of robust, evidence-based policies for assisted migration given that we anticipate this conservation intervention becoming more popular as climate change impacts on ecosystems become more evident and dire.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Using community science to advance grizzly bear conservation
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 11
    Alberta grizzly bears are classified as a threatened species in the province of Alberta as of 2010, with human-caused mortality and habitat loss a primary threat. The people who live, work, and recreate within bear habitat play a crucial role in their conservation. While the public is often enthusiastic about grizzly bears, and opportunistically report their observations to government staff, these reports are not systematic or rigorously collected and lack key information. As such, we developed GrizzTracker as a community science program. Following several years of successful deployment, we analyzed community scientist data and evaluated the efficacy of the program through an online user survey. We found that the GrizzTracker app was useful as a data collection and public engagement tool, yielding information for applied management, and that community scientists were generally satisfied. We provide considerations for future program development, including considerations for human, social, technological, and financial capital investment related to design, development, and implementation of data collection protocols, the importance of clearly communicating outcomes, and opportunities for educational outreach. While there is continued trepidation by traditionally trained scientists to develop or engage in community science programs, and some noted areas of improvement for our program specifically, we think that GrizzTracker offers a success story in community science.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Applying ensemble ecosystem model projections to future-proof marine conservation planning in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 16
    Climate change is altering marine ecosystems across the globe and is projected to do so for centuries to come. Marine conservation agencies can use short- and long-term projections of species-specific or ecosystem-level climate responses to inform marine conservation planning. Yet, integration of climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience into marine conservation planning is limited. We analysed future trajectories of climate change impacts on total consumer biomass and six key physical and biogeochemical drivers across the Northwest Atlantic Ocean to evaluate the consequences for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) in Atlantic Canada. We identified climate change hotspots and refugia, where the environmental drivers are projected to change most or remain close to their current state, respectively, by mid- and end-century. We used standardized outputs from the Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Model Intercomparison Project and the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Our analysis revealed that, currently, no existing marine conservation areas in Atlantic Canada overlap with identified climate refugia. Most (75%) established MPAs and more than one-third (39%) of the established OECMs lie within cumulative climate hotspots. Our results provide important long-term context for adaptation and future-proofing spatial marine conservation planning in Canada and the Northwest Atlantic region.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    A social–ecological geography of southern Canadian lakes
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 16
    Anthropogenic pressures, including urban and agricultural expansion, can negatively influence a lake's capacity to provide aquatic ecosystem services (ES). However, identifying lakes most at risk of losing their ES (i.e., higher vulnerability) requires integrating information on lake ecological state, global change threats, and ES use. Here, we provide a social–ecological framework that combines these features within a regional context by evaluating the ecological state of 659 lakes across Canada. Using the deviation of impacted lakes from reference ones, we identified much higher total nitrogen and chloride concentrations as the main indicators of an altered lake ecological state in all regions identified. Lake ecological state was mapped using an additive colour model along with regional scores of threat levels and recreational ES use. Urban and agriculturally developed areas were linked to higher lake vulnerability and ES loss. Lakes in Southern Ontario were most concerning, being highly altered, under threat, and heavily used. Lakes near coastal urban centers were altered and used, but less threatened, whereas those in the Prairies were altered and threatened, but less used. Our novel framework provides the first social–ecological geography of Canadian lakes, and is a promising tool to assess lake state and vulnerability at scales relevant for management.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Conducting community-led research using trail cameras to develop baseline wandering domestic cat local abundance estimates
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 14
    Assessing cat local abundance provides information on where wandering cat numbers are highest and what habitats or factors are associated with wandering cats. A variety of stakeholders can lead this research and then use the findings to make scientifically informed decisions to guide the physical locations of cat management actions. Here, we document a framework that engages community members, uses minimal equipment (six trail cameras), and provides scientifically derived information for interested parties to inform, direct, or test the effectiveness of cat management practices. Using these methods in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, we demonstrate how we estimated cat population size and cat local abundances across a variety of co-variates while accounting for non-perfect detection by using 55 trail camera sites and N-mixture models. Urban areas had three-fold higher local wandering cat abundances than parkland areas, and neighbourhoods below the median income had the highest local abundances of wandering cats. We estimated there are between 8905 and 48,419 (mean 21,298) wandering cats in Gatineau, with 18%–73% of those cats being unowned. These findings can be used to identify locations for future cat management. If estimates of cat abundance are repeated, they can assess the effectiveness of management actions.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    COP 15: Crunch time for the world’s biodiversity
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 4
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Social media-based community science for turtle nest monitoring and conservation
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 7
    In late 2020, a private volunteer group operating through a Facebook group approached Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) with an interest in participating in the Citizen Science Nest Protection and Monitoring Volunteer Program. During the 2021 season, TRCA staff virtually trained volunteers in turtle nest detection, protection, and monitoring due to COVID-19 social constraints, and provided necessary supplies and equipment. In 2021 volunteers and staff detected 181 turtle nests and were able to protect 75 nests with simple predator-exclusion devices, while in 2022, 165 nests were detected, and 155 were protected. The volunteers also collected data, including nesting location, date, and species in addition to the number of successful hatchlings (2021 only). In 2021, the 75 protected nests yielded 81 Midland Painted Turtle and 665 Snapping Turtle hatchlings. Five Midland Painted Turtle’s eggs were also recovered from an injured turtle, and 44 Snapping Turtle eggs were recovered from a partially predated nest, transported to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, incubated, hatched, and overwintered, and then released back into the local wetlands. The partnership with a local community group proved effective, and we would recommend this practice to other conservation organizations interested in turtle nest protection.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Management practices benefit endangered Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek) in Manitoba tall grass prairie
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 12
    Poweshiek skipperling (Oarisma poweshiek Parker, 1870) populations have declined precipitously in the past few decades, and their global range is now restricted to two isolated regions, one of which is the managed Manitoba tall grass prairie in Canada. In this paper, we used a decade of survey data from 2010 to 2019 to understand how habitat features, management practices, and extreme weather impact Poweshiek skipperling abundance in Manitoba. The strongest predictor of abundance was the density of black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta L.), a primary nectar plant for adults. Poweshiek skipperling abundance also had a negative relationship with both the number of years since a burn occurred and the number of years since grazing occurred. Cumulative precipitation during their active period (May–June) had a negative relationship with skipperling abundance, whereas warm early springs and cool temperatures during the active period had positive relationships. These results suggest that management actions that maintain tall grass prairie habitat in an early successional stage (burning and grazing) and maintain important nectar sources benefit this population. In contrast, extreme weather events had varying effects on Poweshiek skipperling abundance. Results from this study inform ongoing management practices in the Manitoba tall grass prairie to support this endangered population.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Now is the time for academics to think and act beyond academia
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 3
    Despite the challenges posed by climate change and the biodiversity crisis, most academic research continues to stay within academia and the gaps between conservation science, policy, and practice remain intact. We need to improve the exchange of evidence between researchers and conservation practitioners and focus on solutions-oriented, interdisciplinary science and co-developed research. As we continue to break climate records and lose record numbers of species every year, now is the time for academics to think and act beyond their institutions.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Superworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae, Zophobas morio) degradation of UV-pretreated expanded polystyrene
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 15
    A laboratory-based study was conducted to investigate the consumption and degradation of expanded polystyrene (EPS) by superworms (darkling beetle larvae, Zophobas morio; heterotypic synonym Zophobas atratus). Superworms fed on one of three diets (wheat bran control, EPS blocks, or EPS S-shaped chips) following a 60-second pretreatment with UV radiation or no UV radiation exposure. Loss-of-mass measurements were conducted every week for 4 weeks. Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and EPS degradation products in frass were determined as well as the superworm gut microbiome composition. The average loss of mass after 28 days was 34.7% for EPS blocks and 25.6% for S-shaped chips. Small quantities of nitrogen and phosphorus were found in the frass of superworms that fed on the EPS diet, but they were lower than those from wheat bran-fed superworms. Twenty-one EPS degradation products were identified in the frass of superworms on an EPS diet, including short-chain carboxylic acids, polyols, amino acids, metabolites of amino acids, and phosphoric acids. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (polystyrene degrader) and Stenotrophomonas sp. (nitrogen fixer and phosphorus solubilization promoter) were identified from the guts of superworms that fed on an EPS diet. Overall, superworms have the potential to deal with plastic waste degradation problems.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Rooting natural climate solutions in Wahkohtowin through Indigenous guardianship: insights from a youth-led initiative in Northern Ontario, Canada
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 17
    In recent years, increasing attention has been directed to “natural climate solutions” to mitigate climate change through the protection, restoration, and improved management of carbon-storing ecosystems. In practice, Indigenous Peoples have been implementing natural climate solutions for millennia through land stewardship. As Indigenous nations and communities in Canada reassert stewardship roles through Indigenous Guardians programs, the question arises: what possibilities emerge when natural climate solutions are driven by Guardians, guided by multifaceted community priorities and Indigenous knowledge? This paper responds to this question, drawing upon collaborative research with Wahkohtowin Development, a social enterprise based in Treaty 9 territory (Ontario, Canada), made up of Chapleau Cree First Nation, Missanabie Cree First Nation, and Brunswick House First Nation. We engaged youth Guardians in workshops that generated insights on the role of youth, cross-cultural collaboration, and holistic conceptualizations of climate action rooted in Indigenous ontologies (such as the Cree philosophy of wahkohtowin, embodying kinship and interconnectedness). Our analysis reveals that Indigenous Guardians are well positioned to advance natural climate solutions and to do so in an integrative manner that addresses intersecting challenges—with benefits for communities, ecosystems, climate action, and reconciliation.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Integrative adaptive management to address interactions between biological invasions and protected area connectivity: a Canadian perspective
    FACETS • Vol. 8 • pp. 1 - 12
    Expanding and creating protected area networks has become a central pillar of global conservation planning. In the management and design of protected area networks, we must consider not only the positive aspects of landscape connectivity but also how that connectivity may facilitate the spread of invasive species, a challenge that has become known as the connectivity conundrum. Here, we review key considerations for landscape connectivity planning for protected area networks, focusing on interactions between network connectivity and the management of invasive species. We propose an integrative adaptive management framework for protected area network planning with five main elements, including monitoring, budgeting considerations, risk assessment, inter-organizational coordination, and local engagement. Protected area planners can address the dynamic aspects of the connectivity conundrum through collaborative and integrative adaptive management planning.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Co-creating Ethical Space in wildlife conservation: a case study of moose (Mooz; Alces alces) research and monitoring in the Robinson Huron Treaty region (Ontario, Canada)
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 14
    The strengths of Indigenous Knowledges and need for reconciliation are increasingly recognized within conservation, leading to a rise in collaborative, cross-cultural research initiatives. As both a cultural keystone and important harvest species, moose are of value to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples, presenting an opportunity to pursue moose monitoring strategies that embrace the strengths of Indigenous and Western knowledges. While various frameworks provide theoretical direction on how to do so, few resources outline how to apply them in practice. Leaning on guidance of the Ethical Space framework, we explored the meaning and application of value-based approaches in the context of moose monitoring in central Ontario through semi-structured interviews with First Nation communities, the Ontario provincial crown government, and academic researchers. Collectively, 20 core values were identified to be important when bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners together, coupled with a range of tangible actions necessary for fostering Ethical Space. Values and actions reflected three main themes: an emphasis on the long term, the importance of building and maintaining relationships, and the ability to evolve and adapt over time. Insights from this research provide tools and guidance for others interested in enacting Ethical Space in the context of cross-cultural wildlife monitoring and research.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Assessing climate change vulnerability in Canadian marine conservation networks: implications for conservation planning and resilience
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 15
    Marine protected areas (MPAs) are critical in safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem functions under climate change. The long-term effectiveness of these static conservation measures will depend on how well they represent current and future ocean changes. Here, we use the Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity to assess the vulnerability representation of marine ecosystems within the Canadian marine conservation network (CMCN) under two divergent emissions scenarios. We found that MPAs best represent climate vulnerability in Atlantic Canada (85% representativity overall, and 93% in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence under low emissions), followed by the Pacific (78%) and Arctic (63%; lowest in the Eastern Arctic (41% under high emissions) regions). Notably, MPAs with lower climate vulnerability are proportionally overrepresented in the CMCN. Broad-scale geographic targets employed in the Scotian Shelf-Bay of Fundy network planning process achieve over 90% representativity of climate vulnerabilities, underscoring the importance of ensuring habitat representativity and geographic distribution in conservation planning to enhance climate resilience, even if not explicitly prioritized. Moving towards Canada’s target to protect 30% of its waters by 2030, prioritizing representativity and designation of MPAs in currently underrepresented climate-vulnerable regions may be crucial to enhancing the resilience of the CMCN amidst an ever-changing climate.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Identifying indigenous knowledge components for Whudzih (Caribou) recovery planning
    FACETS • Vol. 10 • pp. 1 - 11
    In Canada, recent advances towards reconciliation have introduced new collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments, including for species-at-risk recovery planning. During these collaborations, Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is often requested, however, clear expectations of what IK is being sought and how diverse knowledge systems will be woven to produce tangible benefits to species recovery are often limited. Here, we provide a case study of a two-stage process to identify and collect IK components that can aid whudzih (caribou) recovery planning. First, we surveyed non-Indigenous government professionals involved in caribou initiatives to specify what IK would benefit recovery planning. Responses were used to guide the development of semi-structured interview questions. Interviews were conducted with knowledge holders from Lhtako Dene, a Southern Dakelh Nation in British Columbia, Canada with historic socioecological ties to caribou. Responses of government professionals highlighted 24 topics for caribou recovery, and interviews with Lhtako Dene knowledge holders revealed strong linkages between ecological and social information types. In some cases, the IK requested was not available from knowledge holders. Collaborations for caribou recovery would benefit from clarity on expectations and outcomes of IK sharing. We suggest that structured processes that respectfully facilitate IK requests and collection become commonplace in species recovery planning.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Cadre législatif québécois pour la protection des espèces sauvages en situation précaire: évaluation critique et recommandations pour une révision majeure
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 14
    In Quebec, the Act Respecting Threatened or Vulnerable species (ARTV), adopted in 1989, aims to safeguard Quebec's wild genetic diversity by protecting species at risk. However, since its implementation about 30 years ago, it has been repeatedly pointed out that the application of the Quebec legislative framework for the protection of wildlife species at risk was often slow and inadequate. The aim of this article is therefore to make a series of observations on the limits of current legislation and then propose nine urgent recommendations to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts for species at risk in Quebec. Our recommendations aim to increase the efficiency and transparency of the designation process, reconsider compensation mechanisms for the loss of critical habitat, and harmonize species status between the federal and provincial levels. We hope that our article will pave the way for a constructive discussion leading to an improved protection of wildlife species in precarious situations and their persistence for future generations. The English version of this article is available in the Supplementary material file.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Remanufacturing of paper waste for pencil production: a sustainable business assessment
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 12
    Large amounts of waste paper are generated annually worldwide. Although some of it is recycled, up to 50% is landfilled or incinerated. The remanufacturing of waste paper to produce pencils is proposed as a novel, sustainable business solution. A sustainability analysis of this process was performed to quantify indexes of technical, environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Small-to-medium business models were evaluated, in which 15 000 pencils/shift/day can be produced from 135 kg of waste paper, with a maximum productivity of 64 800 pencils/day. Productivity, operating costs, power consumption, land footprint, machine delivery cost, and number of workers were used to analyze the technical feasibility. The cost-to-profit ratio, cost and profit per pencil, and daily profit were used to evaluate economic sustainability. The amounts of municipal solid waste and recovered paper waste, saved embodied energy, and prevented CO2 emissions were used to analyze environmental sustainability. The number of workers and labor costs were used to evaluate human development and social sustainability. The machines required for the remanufacturing line are considered sufficiently mature, remanufactured pencils are less expensive to produce than wooden pencils, and the proposed process minimizes the amount of waste paper sent to landfills and avoids the use of new wood for producing pencils, thereby satisfying technical, economic, and environmental sustainability, respectively. The final sustainability index of 0.9 is considered very high and sufficient for operating a profitable, sustainable business with a profit of 252–583 USD/day.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Ărramăt: an example of Indigenous Peoples’ holistic approach of health and well-being
    FACETS • Vol. 10 • pp. 1 - 10
    Status quo frameworks are highly Eurocentric and narrow in scope protecting; biodiversity conservation in many parts of the world and reflect a kind of dichotomized conservation that has created and perpetuated patterns of poverty, food insecurity, and socio-economic marginalization, particularly among Indigenous Peoples. By dichotomized conservation, we mean an approach to conservation that is not taking into consideration the intrinsic interdependence of environment, people, and all the species. It is the management of conservation of different ecosystems and species separately. This framework is opposed to the Indigenous approach to conservation in which people cannot think about their health and well-being without thinking about the health and well-being of Mother Earth. New conceptualizations of biodiversity are needed that are holistic in nature and confront these historical and systemic patterns of exclusion of Indigenous Peoples.
  • OPEN ACCESS
    Conserving at-risk aquatic species in agricultural drains
    FACETS • Vol. 9 • pp. 1 - 10
    Many of Canada’s waterways are modified by the deepening and straightening of stream channels, converting them into agricultural drains to create arable land. While these agricultural drains support diverse aquatic communities and provide important habitat for species at risk, current policies allow for maintenance activities that threaten the survival and longevity of at-risk fish populations. Using three case studies from Ontario, we highlight current challenges to protecting aquatic species at risk in agricultural drains and potential conservation actions that can be taken to protect and restore aquatic species at risk and their habitat within those drains. Conservation actions may vary from ecological modeling to collaborative development of mitigation techniques, and restoration of naturalized habitat in anticipation of future alterations. We provide nine recommendations (including improved legislation, permitting, mitigation, and compliance) on how to better conserve and protect aquatic species at risk in agricultural drains in the future.