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Jasper National Park is located in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Canada, close to the British Columbia border. Due to the growing concern of rapidly disappearing places of 'wilderness', the area is coming to be seen as a refuge for species that are facing increased threats outside the park, in particular habitat loss and fragmentation. Two examples of such species include the Southern Mountain Woodland Caribou population, and the Whitebark Pine tree, which are listed under the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). However, the conservation management plans of these two species potentially conflict. Fires in the park are increasingly viewed as a crucial part of the Whitebark Pine's recovery strategy. Meanwhile, park management has also recognized the direct and indirect negative effects of fire on the already stressed caribou populations and habitat. Future management plans for the park and for species at risk will ultimately depend on the value that park managers and visitors attach to different species. The objectives of this study are: (1) to examine the spatial distribution and overlap between Whitebark Pine and Woodland Caribou in the park, and (2) to identify potential areas to be designated as prescribed burn areas for increased Whitebark Pine regeneration which would not negatively impact caribou populations. In order to carry out my analysis I used Arc Map 10.1 to perform a Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) to identify these areas. While the results indicate much spatial overlap between the habitat of these two species, small areas totalling approximately 44 877ha (greater than 4km away) and 30 633ha (greater than 14km away), from caribou habitat, were identified as possible burn areas. The results highlight that although in practice an extremely difficult task, managing for multiple and potentially conflicting values within the park is possible.

Abstract

Park Managers still face significant trade-offs between fire and caribou conservation objectives.

-Robinson et al, 2010b

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