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Ecosystem Classification of the Northwest
Territories
Northern ecosystems
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and their vast forests, numerous wetlands, bogs, lakes and rivers
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play an important role in producing oxygen and clean water, and enhancing
our environment. Different combinations of climate, soils and terrain create
a variety of landscapes across the Northwest Territories. These landscapes
can be grouped into ecological regions, or ecoregions at a variety of
scales. The NWT Ecosystem Classification Project started in 2004
- to revise the ecozones and ecoregions of the Northwest Territories, as
they were defined under the Canadian National Ecosystem Framework. The
revision process recognizes the need to develop an updated NWT ecosystem
classification that reflects best current information and analytic
techniques, and that can be used for to better manage natural resources in
the Northwest Territories.
The NWT has adopted the North American
classification approach to revise its ecoregions. This includes several
levels, ranging from huge global biomes such as tundra and taiga, to smaller
and more specific areas that cover only a few square kilometres. The
Northwest Territories has three large Level I ecoregions
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Arctic, Tundra, and Taiga. These have been divided into various Level II
ecoregions, Level III
ecoregions
and smaller Level IV ecoregions. The new NWT ecosystem classification will
be useful for environmental assessment, cumulative effects management,
biodiversity monitoring and reporting, forest resource analysis and
planning, wildlife habitat evaluation and conservation, and protected area
identification.
For more information
about the NWT Ecosystem Classification Project, contact:
Bas Oosenbrug,
Wildlife Division, Environment and Natural Resources, (867) 873-7760 or
Bob Decker,
Forest Management Division, Environment and Natural Resources,
(867) 874 -2009. |
