Atlas of land cover, industrial land uses and industrial-caused land changes in the Peace Region of British Columbia

Transcription

1 Atlas of land cover, industrial land uses and industrial-caused land changes in the Peace Region of British Columbia By Peter G. Lee Matt Hanneman The purposes of this study are: 1. To describe spatially the suite of major ecosystem types (natural capital stocks) in the region, as well as key areas or administrative units for select focal wildlife species (caribou and grizzly) 2. To spatially describe current major industrial land use changes (forestry, oil and gas, roads, hydro etc.) to natural capital in the region. 3. To spatially describe the change in natural capital over the last decades as a result of recent industrial development. The 56,118 km2 study area consists of those portions of 5 watersheds that are within the Peace Region of British Columbia. The vast majority of the study area is within lands covered by Treaty 8. The dominant major land cover type is Coniferous Forest (43% of the study area), followed by Deciduous Forest (18%). Some of the major industrial /infrastructure land uses include: - There are 16,267 oil and gas wellsites, 8,517 petroleum and natural gas facilities, 358 km2 of oil and gas pipeline ROWs, and 9,781 km2 of active oil and gas tenures. - There are 5,097 km2 of existing and planned logging cutblocks, one large hydropower reservoir (Williston), one large proposed reservoir (Site C) and dozens of potential run-of-river hydropower sites, 45,293 km of roads % of the study has been industrially-changed to date (66.9% when buffered by 500 m), with many more proposed or planned in the near future. - Three of the 10 caribou herd ranges that are all or partly within the study area are more than 50% changed (when buffered by 500 m) by a combination of roads, mines, settlements, pipelines, wellsites and other industrial and infrastructure activities.

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3 Atlas of land cover, industrial land uses and industrial-caused land changes in the Peace Region of British Columbia ISBN: By Peter Lee Matt Hanneman Citation: Lee, P and M. Hanneman Atlas of land cover, industrial land uses and industrial-caused land change in the Peace Region of British Columbia. Global Forest Watch Canada report #4 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. 95 pp. 2

4 Acknowledgements This project was funded by the David Suzuki Foundation and by West Moberly First Nation. Their support is gratefully acknowledged. We are very grateful to the Government of British Columbia (and the British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission), and the Treaty 8 Tribal Association for making much detailed geospatial data readily available. We thank the reviewers who provided comments on the draft report. 3

5 Contents Acknowledgements... 3 Introduction... 8 Purposes of study... 8 Study Area... 9 Methods Study area Industrial-caused landscape changes and datasets used Land Cover Description of major land cover types Major land cover types within the fundamental watersheds of the study area Intact forest landscapes within the study area Industrial and Infrastructure Land Uses Oil and gas Oil and gas wells and facilities Oil and gas pipelines Oil and gas tenures Oil and gas wellsites and proximity to major lakes and streams Oil and gas wells and fields and seismic density Unconventional natural gas fields and Montney Basin play trend Oil and gas water withdrawals and stream crossings Oil and gas developments, active tenures (area), and roads within 10 km buffer surrounding First Nations Reserves Oil and gas developments, active tenures (area), and roads within 10 km buffer surrounding Doig River Tribal Park and CP Oil and gas wells, tenures, facilities and pipelines within 10 km buffer surrounding protected areas Mining Logging and Timber Supply Areas/Blocks Hydropower Agriculture and private lands Roads

6 Transmission lines Wind Industrial and Infrastructure Land Changes ( ) Cumulative changes Examples of proposed future industrial activity Caribou Grizzly Bear Summary of findings Appendix A: Industrial-caused landscape changes Appendix B: Data sources Appendix C: Review Tables Table 1. Area of the study area and area of its fundamental watersheds Table 2. Area of the 6 First Nations Reserves within the study area Table 3. Amount of protected area within the study area Table 4. Area of land cover types by watershed Table 5. Area of Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) by watershed Table 6. Oil and gas wells and facilities by watershed Table 7. Oil and gas wells by time period and watershed Table 8. Pipeline Right-of-Ways (area and length) by watershed. (Data source: GeoBC Data Distribution Service, September ) Table 9. Pipeline length by substance. (Data source: IHS Energy, March ) Table 10.Pipeline length by operating status Table 11. Oil and gas tenures by watershed (as of February ) Table 12. Oil and gas wells proximity to major lakes and streams (m) Table 13. Points of water withdrawal by oil and gas industry by watershed Table 14. Number of water crossings by oil and gas industry Table 15. Coal, mineral mines and tenures. A Table 16. Recent and planned cutblocks by watershed Table 17. Tree Farm Licenses by watershed

7 Table 18. Number of potential run-of-river developments by capacity and watershed Table 19. Agriculture and private lands by watershed Table 20. Roads by type and length Table 21. Length of transmission lines by watershed Table 22. Wind power towers and tenures by watershed Table 23. Anthropogenic land changes 1974 to 1990 and 1990 to Table 24. Oil and gas wells: number and annual rate of new wells Table 25. Physical footprint of disturbed area by watershed (ha) Table 26. Cumulative changes (buffered by 500 m) Table 27. Biogeoclimatic zones, subzones and variants in the study area Table 28. Cumulative changes by watershed and biogeoclimatic zone, subzone and variant Table 29. Caribou herd risk/status and cumulative disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within the Peace region of BC Table 30. Landsat image pairs used for change detection for the approximate period of Table 31. Landsat image pairs used for change detection for the approximate period of Table 32. Data sources Figures Figure 1. Percent of land cover types by watershed Figure 2. Length of road types (m) with Unclassified Roads removed Figure 3. Landsat image pair footprints. Left: ~ time period; Right:~ time period. 86 Maps Map 1. Peace region of BC within western North America Map 2. Watersheds and relief within Peace region of BC Map 3. Bing maps aerial imagery within Peace region of BC Map 4. First Nations communities, reserves, and cultural use areas within Peace region of BC Map 5. Protected areas within Peace region of BC Map 6. Land cover within the Peace region of BC Map 7. Intact forest landscapes within Peace region of BC Map 8. Petroleum and natural gas wells and facilities within Peace region of BC Map 9. Well site density within Peace region of BC Map 10. Petroleum and natural gas pipelines within the Peace region of BC Map 11. Petroleum and natural gas tenures within the Peace region of BC (April ) Map 12. Petroleum and natural gas tenures within the Peace region of BC (Feb ) Map 13. Petroleum and natural gas tenures: changes between November and February Map 14. Petroleum and natural gas wells in proximity to lakes and rivers within the Peace region of BC36 Map 15. Petroleum and natural gas fields within the Peace region of BC Map 16. Petroleum and natural gas seismic density within the Peace region of BC

8 Map 17. Petroleum and natural gas well sites and unconventional natural gas within the Peace region of BC Map 18. Petroleum and natural gas er withdrawals and stream crossings within Peace region of BC Map 19. Petroleum and natural gas developments, tenures and roads surrounding First Nations Reserves within the Peace region of BC Map 20. Petroleum and natural gas activity adjacent to First Nations cultural use areas within the Peace region of BC Map 21. Petroleum and natural gas activity adjacent to large protected areas within the Peace region of BC Map 22. Mining within the Peace region of BC Map 23. Recent and planned cutblocks within the Peace region of BC Map 24. Timber Supply Areas and Tree Farm Licenses within the Peace region of BC Map 25. Potential run-of-river hydropower development within the Peace region of BC Map 26. Agricultural lands within the Peace region of BC Map 27.Private land within the Peace region of BC Map 28. Linear access within the Peace region of BC Map 29. Transmission lines within the Peace region of BC Map 30. Wind power sites within the Peace region of BC Map 31 Recent anthropogenic change within the Peace region of BC Map 32. Number of petroleum and natural gas wells 1950, 1970, 1990 and 2011 in the Peace region of BC Map 33. Recent anthropogenic change adjacent to (First Nation) Indian reserves within the Peace region of BC Map 34. Recent anthropogenic change adjacent to protected areas within the Peace region of BC Map 35. Cumulative changes within the Peace region of BC (three major categories of disturbances) Map 36. Cumulative changes within the Peace region of BC (all combined disturbances) Map 37. Cumulative changes (buffered by 500 m) within the Peace region of BC Map 38. Biogeoclimatic zones within the Peace region of BC Map 39. Percent of biogeoclimatic zones impacted by cumulative human disturbances within the Peace region of BC Map 40. Proposed future industrial activity within the Peace region of BC Map 41. Caribou herds risk/status and cumulative disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within Peace region of BC Map 42. Percent of caribou herd range impacted by cumulative human disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within Peace region of BC Map 43. Grizzly bear management units and cumulative disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within the Peace region of BC

9 Introduction British Columbia`s Peace Region has experienced widespread changes due to a convergence of industrial interests on the same land base. Much of the mature forests, rivers, wetlands and other ecosystems have already been changed by logging, mining, oil and gas development (conventional and non-conventional), water withdrawals and stream crossings, large-scale hydro development (e.g., W.A.C. Bennett Dam), agricultural conversion and other industrial developments. The eastern portion of the region has been especially subjected to many industrial-caused changes and is now dominated by a growing patchwork of agricultural fields, clearcuts, seismic lines, petroleum and natural gas wellsites and facilities, mineral developments, roads, transmission lines and pipelines. Tenure concessions to industry are widespread and often multilayered in the same geographic area. If these tenures are fully developed, the result will be even more intensive and extensive future industrial-caused changes in this region. Local First Nations and some non-aboriginals are concerned that further expansion and intensification of the industrial footprint in the region will cause irrevocable ecological harm and undermine community wellbeing (e.g., declining game populations). In addition to high presentday levels of industrial-caused changes in the region, the region faces numerous future threats from mineral exploration and development, logging, conventional and unconventional oil and gas activity and other land uses. As well, there is also a proposed third major hydro-electric project on the Peace River, upstream from the town of Fort St. John at a location called Site C. Triggered by the resurrection of the Site C proposed development, First Nations in the region presented a joint declaration to the British Columbia Government calling for, among other things, further research of the cumulative impacts of industrial development in the region. 1 There is also concern that, located at the narrowest width of the Yellowstone to Yukon corridor, the cumulative impacts of these disturbances in the Peace Region may threaten to sever ecological connectivity for several wide-ranging wildlife species. As a result of these concerns, Global Forest Watch Canada conducted this study, which focuses on spatial analyses of current industrial land use pressures, and of industrial land use change that has already occurred in the region. Purposes of study 1. To describe spatially the suite of major ecosystem types (natural capital stocks) in the region, as well as key areas or administrative units for select focal wildlife species (caribou and grizzly). 2. To spatially describe current major industrial land use changes (forestry, oil and gas, roads, hydro etc.) to natural capital in the region. 3. To spatially describe the change in natural capital over the last decades as a result of recent industrial development. 1 First Nations Declaration Concerning the Proposed Site C Dam. September

10 Study Area The study area boundary was selected based on those watershed boundaries that intersect with the area in British Columbia generally referred to as the Peace Region. The 56,118 km 2 study area consists of those portions of 5 watersheds that are within the Peace Region of British Columbia: Beatton (14,258 km 2 ), Upper Peace-Halfway (15,083 km 2 ), Eastern Williston Lake (5,969 km 2 ), Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw (7,399 km 2 ), and Pine (13,409 km 2 ) (Table 1: Maps 1, 2 and 3). Some examples of the administrative and legal boundaries within the study area are: The vast majority of the study area is within Treaty 8 (99.6%) (Map 4); There are 5 Aboriginal communities, 6 First Nations Reserves (totalling 114 km 2 or 0.2% of the study area) (Table 2: Map 4); There are two Aboriginal cultural use areas ; 2 and, There are 28 protected areas totalling 2,356 km 2 or 4.2% of the study area (Table 3; Map 5). Table 1. Area of the study area and area of its fundamental watersheds. Area (ha) % of study area Study area 5,611, % of study FDA# Fundamental watersheds Area (ha) area 07FC Beatton 1,425, FA Upper Peace - Halfway 1,508, EF Eastern Williston Lake 596, FD Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw 739, FB Pine (B.C.) 1,340, Total Watersheds 5,611, See section in report titled Oil and gas developments, active tenures (area), and roads within 10 km buffer surrounding Doig River Tribal Park and CP212. 9

11 Table 2. Area of the 6 First Nations Reserves within the study area. Indian reserves First Nation 3 (ha) Area % of study area East Moberly Lake 169 Saulteau First Nations 3, West Moberly Lake 168A West Moberly First Nations 2, Beaton River No. 204, North Parcel Doig River First Nation Beaton River 204, South Parcel Blueberry River First Nation Halfway River 168 Halfway River First Nation 3, Blueberry River No. 205* Blueberry River First Nations 1, Doig River 206* Doig River First Nation Finlay Bay Indian Reserve No. 21 McLeod Lake First Nation Total Reserves 11, Table 3. Amount of protected area within the study area. IUCN YEAR Protected Area Area (ha) % of Study Area II 1999 Pink Mountain Park II 1999 Graham-Laurier Park 96, IA 1973 Cecil Lake Ecological Reserve II 1962 Kiskatinaw Park IA 2000 Rolla Canyon Ecological Reserve II 2001 Peace River Corridor Park 1, II 1978 Taylor Landing Park 0.9 <0.001 III 2001 Kiskatinaw River Park II 2000 Beatton River Park II 2000 Butler Ridge Park 6, II 1934 Beatton Park II 1964 Charlie Lake Park IA 1971 Clayhurst Ecological Reserve II 2001 Peace River Corridor Park V 2001 Peace River Corridor Park II 2000 Bocock Peak Park 1, II 1966 Moberly Lake Park II 2001 Klin-se-za Park 2, II 1982 East Pine Park 14.0 <0.001 III 2000 Pine River Breaks Park II 1936 Swan Lake Park II 2000 Pine Le Moray Park 32, II 1978 One Island Lake Park Government of Canada Aboriginal Communities of Canada. British Columbia. 10

12 II 1971 Gwillim Lake Park 32, III 1981 Sukunka Falls Park III 2000 Hole-in-the-Wall Park II 2001 Bearhole Lake Protected Area 5, II 2001 Bearhole Lake Park 12, II 1981 Monkman Park 39, Total Protected Areas 235, Photo: The proposed Site C dam reservoir would flood this section of the Peace River valley, east of Hudson's Hope. ((Juri Peepre)) 11

13 Map 1. Peace region of BC within western North America 12

14 Map 2. Watersheds and relief within Peace region of BC 13

15 Map 3. Bing maps aerial imagery within Peace region of BC 14

16 Map 4. First Nations communities, reserves, and cultural use areas within Peace region of BC 15

17 Map 5. Protected areas within Peace region of BC 16

18 Methods Study area The study area is within the Peace region of British Columbia. The boundary was defined using the Water Survey of Canada s Sub-sub drainage basins (i.e., watersheds) and the British Columbia/Alberta border. It includes 5 sub-sub drainage basins that contribute to the Peace River within British Columbia. These basins include Upper Peace Halfway, Upper Peace Kiskatinaw, Pine (B.C.), Beatton, and Eastern Williston Lake (Map 2). Industrial-caused landscape changes and datasets used Appendix A describes the detailed methods used to map industrial-cased landcape changes using Landsat satellite imagery from 1974 ot 1990 and from 1990 to Appendix B lists all the sources of the datasets used in the maps in this report. Photo: The many wetlands, islands, riparian areas and back channels along the Peace River segment that would be flooded with a dam at Site C, support robust populations of diverse wildlife, including terrestrial, avian and aquatic species. Moose use the islands for calving. (Juri Peepre) 17

19 Land Cover This section describes maps and analyzes the following: Major land cover types within the fundamental watersheds of the study area; Major land cover types within Site C s Impact Lines; Intact forest landscapes within the study area. Description of major land cover types The land cover data source was Land Cover for Agricultural Regions of Canada, circa Unclassified: Areas unclassified due to cloud, shadow or other image quality factors. 2. Water: Water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, salt water, etc.) 3. Exposed land: Predominately non-vegetated and non-developed. Includes: exposed lands, bare soil, snow, glacier, rock, sediments, burned areas, rubble, mines, other naturally occurring non-vegetated surfaces. 4. Developed land: Land predominantly built-up or developed; including vegetation associated with these cover conditions. This may include road surfaces, railway surfaces, buildings and paved surfaces, urban areas, parks, industrial sites, mine structures and farmsteads. May also include golf courses and ski hills. 5. Shrubland: Predominantly woody vegetation of relatively low height (generally +/-2 meters). 6. Wetland: Wetland Description: Land with a water table near/at/above soil surface for enough time to promote wetland or aquatic processes (semi-permanent or permanent wetland vegetation, including fens, bogs, swamps, sloughs, marshes etc). 7. Grassland: Predominantly native grasses and other herbaceous vegetation, may include some shrubland cover. Land used for range or native unimproved pasture may appear in this class. 8. Agriculture Annual Cropland: Annually cultivated cropland and woody perennial crops. Includes annual field crops, vegetables, summer fallow, orchards and vineyards. 9. Agriculture Perennial Crops and Pasture: Periodically cultivated cropland. Includes tame grasses and other perennial crops such as alfalfa and clover grown alone or as mixtures for hay, pasture or seed. 10. Forest Coniferous: Predominantly coniferous forests or treed areas. May include mixed forests and shrubland areas. 11. Forest Deciduous: Predominantly broadleaf/deciduous forests or treed areas. May include mixed forests and shrubland areas. 12. Forest Mixed: Mixed coniferous and broadleaf/deciduous forests or treed areas. 4 Government of Canada / Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (GC/AAFC). Publication Date: Title: Land Cover for agricultural regions of Canada, circa Edition: 1.4. Geospatial Data Presentation Form (Product type): Raster Digital 18

20 Major land cover types within the fundamental watersheds of the study area The dominant land cover type is Coniferous Forest (43% of the study area), followed by Deciduous Forest (18%). These two types are the dominant two in all but one of the watersheds. In the Beatton watershed, the dominant land cover type is Wetland (36.2% of the watershed), followed by Coniferous Forest (23.7%) (Table 4; Figure 1; Map 6). Table 4. Area of land cover types by watershed. Watershed (ha) Land Cover Eastern Williston Lake Upper Peace - Halfway Pine (B.C.) Beatton Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Ha % Ha % Ha % Ha % Ha % Ha % Unclassified Water 35, , , , , , Exposed Land 38, , , , , , Developed , , , , , Shrubland 27, , , , , , Wetland , , , , , Grassland 42, , , , , , Annual Cropland , , , , , Perennial Crops and Pasture , , , , , Coniferous 400, , , , , ,413, Deciduous 48, , , , , ,001, Mixed 1, , , , , , Total Area 596, ,508, ,340, ,425, , ,611, Photo: Typical boreal forest in the eastern part of study area is dominated by boreal white and black spruce, but also supports widepsread stands of lodgepole pine. (Juri Peepre) 19

21 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 07EF 07FA 07FB 07FC 07FD Total Mixed Deciduous Coniferous Perennial Crops and Pasture Annual Cropland Grassland Wetland Shrubland Developed Exposed Land Water Unclassified Figure 1. Percent of land cover types by watershed 07FA 07FB 07FC 07FD Upper Peace - Halfway Pine (B.C.) Beatton Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw 20

22 Map 6. Land cover within the Peace region of BC 21

23 Intact forest landscapes within the study area Approximately 30% of the study area contains intact forest landscapes. These are defined as: A contiguous mosaic of naturally occurring ecosystems in a forest ecozone of at least 5,000 ha in size, essentially undisturbed by significant human influence. An intact forest landscape does not necessarily consist of old-growth trees and may not even be entirely forested. Intact forest landscapes consist of a mosaic of natural ecosystems including forest, bog, water, tundra, and rock outcrops. 5 Two of the five watersheds have very few remaining intact forest landscapes (<6% each) Beatton and Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw while one (Williston Lake) has over 70% remaining as intact forest landscapes. The mean percentage of Intact Forest Landscapes within the study area s watersheds is 30.6% (Table 5 and Map 7). For all of British Columbia, the mean percentage of Intact Forest Landscapes within its watersheds is double at 61.3%. Table 5. Area of Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) by watershed. FDA Watershed Watershed Area (ha) IFL Fragments (5,000-50,000 ha) Large IFLs (>50,000 ha) Temperate IFLs (1,000-5,000 ha) Total IFL (ha) % IFL 07FC Beatton 1,425,770 12, , EF Eastern Williston Lake 596,901 7, ,424 2, , FB Pine (B.C.) 1,340, , ,051 49, , FA 07FD Upper Peace - Halfway 1,508, , ,897 22, , Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw 739,852 39, , Total 5,611, ,251 1,370,372 73,399 1,718, P.G. Lee, Hanneman M, Gysbers J.D, Cheng R, Smith W Atlas of Canada s Intact Forest Landscapes. Edmonton, Alberta: Global Forest Watch Canada 10th Anniversary Publication #1. 74 pp. 22

24 Map 7. Intact forest landscapes within Peace region of BC 23

25 Industrial and Infrastructure Land Uses This section describes and maps the following: Oil and gas (wells, facilities, pipelines, etc.) Mining Logging Agriculture Hydropower reservoirs Roads Transmission lines Wind farms Photo: The industrial footprint in the Bullmoose Creek watershed near Tumbler Ridge includes the revegetated Bullmoose open pit coal mine and related infrastructure, tailings ponds, resource roads, and logging cut-blocks. (Juri Peepre) Photo: This typical gas well in the Rocky Mountains near Tumbler Ridge, is accessed by a network of industrial roads. (Juri Peepre) 24

26 Oil and gas This section describes and maps the following: Oil and gas wellsites by watershed and proximity to water bodies Oil and gas tenures by watershed Oil and gas facilities and pipelines by watershed Oil and gas industry water withdrawals and stream crossings by watershed Oil and gas developments, active tenures (area), and roads within 10 km buffer surrounding First Nations Reserves, Oil and gas developments, active tenures (area), and roads within 10 km buffer surrounding Doig River Tribal Park and CP212 Oil and gas wells, tenures, facilities and pipelines within 10 km buffer surrounding protected areas Oil and gas wells and facilities Of the 16,267 oil and gas wellsites established in the study area, more than one-half are in the Bretton watershed (8,885 or 54.6% of the total for the study area), one of the five watersheds in the study area. More than one-half of all the oil and gas facilities are also with the Beatton watershed (Table 6; Maps 8). Of these, 58.9% were established during the period (Table 7). Map 9 illustrates wellsite density. Table 6. Oil and gas wells and facilities by watershed. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Number of PNG facilities 5, ,194 1,799 8,517 Number of oil and gas wells 8, ,326 4,049 16,267 Table 7. Oil and gas wells by time period and watershed. FDA WSCSSDA Name Wells per time period < 1951 % % % % Total # % of Peace region 07EF Eastern Williston Lake FA Upper Peace - Halfway , , FB Pine (B.C.) FC Beatton , , , , FD Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw , , Total , , , ,

27 Map 8. Petroleum and natural gas wells and facilities within Peace region of BC 26

28 Map 9. Well site density within Peace region of BC 27

29 Oil and gas pipelines In terms of total length of pipelines, 51.8% of British Columbia s pipelines are in the study area (28,587 km in study area; 55,136 km in BC). More than one-half of the area (53.1%) and length (52.1%) covered by oil and gas pipeline right-of-ways that are in the study area are in the Beatton watershed (Table 8; Map 10). Over one-third (35.6%) of pipelines in the study area carry natural gas while almost another onethird (32.3%) carry sour natural gas (Table 9). Three-quarters of the length of the built pipelines are still in operation (as of March 25, 2010) (Table 10). Table 8. Pipeline Right-of-Ways (area and length) by watershed. (Data source: GeoBC Data Distribution Service, September 23, 2011) Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Total area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Pipeline ROW (ha) 14, ,300 4,894 5,640 28,442 Pipeline ROW estimated length* (km) 7, ,621 2,489 3,080 15,040 *Pipeline ROW length was calculated by converting the polygon to line and dividing by 2. This method will produce a slight over estimation of total ROW length. Table 9. Pipeline length by substance. (Data source: IHS Energy, March ) Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Peace region watershed Area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Pipeline length by substance (km) Crude Oil 1, ,508 Fresh Water Fuel Gas ,215 3,237 HVP Products LVP Products Miscellaneous Gases Miscellaneous Liquids Natural Gas 4, ,261 1,495 2,481 10,174 Oil Well Effluent ,427 Salt Water Sour Natural Gas 5, , ,236 Unknown Grand Total 14, ,933 4,229 6,392 28,597 28

30 Table 10.Pipeline length by operating status. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Peace region watershed Area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Pipeline length by status (km) Abandoned Inactive 2, ,801 Not Approved 1, ,860 Operating 11, ,415 2,782 5,123 21,482 Suspended To Be Constructed Grand Total 14, ,933 4,229 6,392 28,597 Photo: Gas plant and related roads in the Bullmoose Creek valley. (Juri Peepre) 29

31 Map 10. Petroleum and natural gas pipelines within the Peace region of BC 30

32 Oil and gas tenures As areas tenured to oil and gas companies can change rapidly, two maps show how the tenure distribution changes over time. Map 11shows the tenures as of April 11, 2011 and Map 12 shows the tenures as of February 1, Map 13 shows where tenures were added, dropped or stayed the same between the two dates. The Beatton watershed has the most active oil and gas tenures at 35.3% of all the tenures in the study area, as of February 1, 2012 (Table 11). Table 11. Oil and gas tenures by watershed (as of February 1, 2012). Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Active PNG tenure area (ha) 345,626 14, , , , ,077 31

33 Map 11. Petroleum and natural gas tenures within the Peace region of BC (April 11, 2011) 32

34 Map 12. Petroleum and natural gas tenures within the Peace region of BC (Feb 1, 2012) 33

35 Map 13. Petroleum and natural gas tenures: changes between April 11, 2011 and February 1,

36 Oil and gas wellsites and proximity to major lakes and streams Of the 16,267 oil and gas wellsites in the study area, 13.3% are within 500 m of a major lake or stream. Of these wellsites within 500 m, over three-quarters (67.5%) are in the Beatton watershed. For all wellsite distances to major lakes and streams, 54.6% are in the Beatton watershed (Table 12; Map 14). Table 12. Oil and gas wells proximity to major lakes and streams (m). Wells within X metres to Canada Atlas water FDA WSCSSDA Name 500 % 1000 % 5000 % All Wells 07EF Eastern Williston Lake FA Upper Peace - Halfway , ,326 07FB Pine (B.C.) FC Beatton 1, , , ,885 07FD Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw , ,049 Total 2, , , ,267 Photo: Wetlands on the terraces of the Peace River valley support waterfowl, shorebird and songbird habitat - such as at Watson Slough. (Juri Peepre) 35

37 Map 14. Petroleum and natural gas wells in proximity to lakes and rivers within the Peace region of BC 36

38 Oil and gas wells and fields and seismic density Map 15 illustrates the oil and gas fields and the wellsites that have been established in and adjacent to the study area. Map 16 shows the density of seismic lines. Map 15. Petroleum and natural gas fields within the Peace region of BC 37

39 Map 16. Petroleum and natural gas seismic density within the Peace region of BC 38

40 Unconventional natural gas fields and Montney Basin play trend Map 17 illustrates the unconventional natural gas fields and the Montnay Basin play trend, along with existing oil and gas wellsites. Map 17. Petroleum and natural gas well sites and unconventional natural gas within the Peace region of BC 39

41 Oil and gas water withdrawals and stream crossings Of the five watersheds in the study area, Beatton and Pine watersheds have the most points of water withdrawal by the oil and gas industry (27.7 and 27.6 respectively) (Table 13; Map 18). In terms of the number of water crossings by the oil and gas industry, The Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw and the Pine watersheds have the most (32.5% and 31.5%, respectively) (Table 14; Map 18). Table 13. Points of water withdrawal by oil and gas industry by watershed. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Points of water withdrawal Table 14. Number of water crossings by oil and gas industry. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Number of water crossings ,296 Photo: View downstream at the Monkman Falls scenic overlook, on the Murray River in Monkman Provincial Park. If built, Enbridge's Northern Gateway Pipeline would cross the Murray River just north of this location. (Juri Peepre) 40

42 Map 18. Petroleum and natural gas er withdrawals and stream crossings within Peace region of BC 41

43 Oil and gas developments, active tenures (area), and roads within 10 km buffer surrounding First Nations Reserves Map 19 illustrated the intensity of petroleum and natural gas developments, tenures and roads surrounding First Nations Reserves. Map 19. Petroleum and natural gas developments, tenures and roads surrounding First Nations Reserves within the Peace region of BC 42

44 Oil and gas developments, active tenures (area), and roads within 10 km buffer surrounding Doig River Tribal Park and CP212 Map 20 illustrates the intensity of petroleum and natural gas activity within and adjacent to First Nations CP212 cultural use area and tribal park. CP 212 CP 212 refers to an area of 14,400 hectares located on the southern shore of the Halfway River, immediately across the River from Halfway River reserve no The area gets its name from "Cutting Permit 212", a permit for forest harvesting initially granted to Canadian Forest Products by the then BC Ministry of Forests in 1996, and since withdrawn. Located completely within the traditional territory of the Halfway River First Nation, descendants of the Hudson Hope Beaver who adhered to Treaty 8 in The area is particularly important for the exercise of the First Nation's traditional culture, including hunting, gathering, spiritual ceremonies and other traditional activities. Halfway River First Nation has a legal claim to possession of the area by virtue of their Aboriginal rights and their entitlement to lands under the terms of Treaty 8, and have filed a Treaty Land Entitlement claim with the federal government in relation to CP 212. The purpose of the claim is to ensure the protection of the area in perpetuity. K ih tsaa?dze Tribal Park K ih tsaa?dze Tribal Park is an area of 95,748 hectares straddling the British Columbia and Alberta provincial border northeast of Fort St. John, BC and northwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta. K ih tsaa?dze (meaning old spruce in the Dane-za language) is located within the traditional lands of the Doig River First Nation, descendants of the Fort St. John Beaver who adhered to Treaty 8 in The lands within the Park have been used for generations by the First Nation as an important place for hunting, camping, fishing and spiritual renewal. In declaring the existence of the Park, the Doig River First Nation is seeking to protect forever the old growth forests and the important cultural, ecological and wildlife resources within the area. 43

45 Map 20. Petroleum and natural gas activity adjacent to First Nations cultural use areas within the Peace region of BC 44

46 Oil and gas wells, tenures, facilities and pipelines within 10 km buffer surrounding protected areas Map 21 shows petroleum and natural gas activity adjacent to large protected areas within the Peace region of BC. Map 21. Petroleum and natural gas activity adjacent to large protected areas within the Peace region of BC 45

47 Mining There are four coal mines in the study area and all are within the Pine watershed (Table 15; Map 22). Coal tenures and other mineral tenures cover 7.3% of the study area, with coal tenures comprising 94.1% of the total mining tenures. Table 15. Coal, mineral mines and tenures. A Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Coal Tenures (ha) , , , , ,775.7 Mineral Tenures (ha) , , , ,324.4 Mining tenures total (ha) , , , , ,100.1 Coal Mines Coal Proposed Mines Coal Exploration Projects A: There may many additional potential and proposed coal mines in the region. Photo: Disused slurry pipeline and cut-line near the abandoned Quintette coal mine. (Juri Peepre) 46

48 Map 22. Mining within the Peace region of BC 47

49 Logging and Timber Supply Areas/Blocks Recent and proposed cutblocks cover the most area in the Pine and Upper Peace-Halfway watershed (3.1% and 2.8% of the study area, respectively) (Table 16; Map 23). The Eastern Williston Lake and Pine watersheds contain over ½ the total area that has been allocated to Tree Farm Licenses (53.4%) (Table 17; Map 24). Table 16. Recent and planned cutblocks by watershed. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Total area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Recent and planned cutblocks (ha) 76,185 36, , ,006 66, ,610 Recent and planned cutblocks (% of study area) Table 17. Tree Farm Licenses by watershed. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Total area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Tree farm licenses (ha) 0 141, ,601 98, ,747 Tree farm licenses (%) Photo: Logging cut-blocks in the Murray River valley. (Juri Peepre) 48

50 Map 23. Recent and planned cutblocks within the Peace region of BC 49

51 Map 24. Timber Supply Areas and Tree Farm Licenses within the Peace region of BC 50

52 Hydropower Of the five watersheds in the study area, Pine watershed has the most potential run-of-river hydropower developments (42.9% of the total, or 106 developments) (Table 18; Map 25). Table 18. Number of potential run-of-river developments by capacity and watershed Run of river hydro sites (by capacity) Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region < 1MW >10MW MW Total Satellite picture: Williston Reservoir and W.A.C. Bennett Dam (Landsat 5). (GFWC) 51

53 Map 25. Potential run-of-river hydropower development within the Peace region of BC 52

54 Agriculture and private lands Agricultural lands comprise 9.2% of the study area (Table 19; Map 26). The Upper-Peace Kiskatinaw and the Beatton watersheds contain the majority of the agricultural lands (4.0% and 3.8% of the study area, respectively). Private lands comprise 15.2% of the study area. As above, the Upper-Peace Kiskatinaw and the Beatton watersheds contain the majority of the private lands (6.1% and 5.5% of the study area, respectively) (Table 19; Map 27). Table 19. Agriculture and private lands by watershed. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Total area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 PFRA Cropland (ha) 81, ,805 8, , ,219 PFRA Forage (ha) 97, ,736 23,796 58, ,664 PFRA Grassland (ha) 33, ,347 24,324 35, ,751 PFRA Total Agriculture lands (ha) 211, ,887 56, , ,634 PFRA Total Agriculture lands (% of study area) Agricultural land reserve (ha) 420,839 3, , , ,045 1,285,194 Private Land 2009 (ha) 309,166 4,570 60, , , ,311 Private Land 2009 (% of study area) Photo: Hay production and other agricultural crops are evident along the length of the Peace River valley within the proposed Site C flooding reservoir. (Juri Peepre) 53

55 Map 26. Agricultural lands within the Peace region of BC 54

56 Map Map 27.Private land within the Peace region of BC 55

57 Roads There are 45,293 km of roads in the study area, or an average of 1.2 km of road per square kilometre (Table 20; Map 28; Figure 2). Just over 10% of the roads are paved. Table 20. Roads by type and length. Length (m) Feature Type paved loose rough overgrown boat decom unknown Total Bridge 1,378 1,378 ferry alleyway 1,865 17,888 3,063 22,816 arterial 136,390 44, ,523 collector 664, , ,055 highway 779, ,075 lane 541 1,229 1,771 local 557,421 3,335,664 14,763 3,907,848 ramp 6, ,166 recreation 3,099 4,832 7,931 resource 10, , ,882 restricted 1,452 9,134 10,586 service 4,796 8,487 13,283 strata 13,813 2,906 16,720 Unclassified 50,232 9,830,814 28,249, ,471 6, ,450 39,158,440 Total 2,231,505 13,765,748 28,267, , , ,450 45,292,538 4,500,000 4,000,000 3,500,000 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000, ,000 0 unknown decom boat overgrown rough loose paved Figure 2. Length of road types (m) with Unclassified Roads removed. 56

58 Map 28. Linear access within the Peace region of BC 57

59 Transmission lines Of the five watersheds, Pine and Upper-Peace Halfway contain 81.1% of the transmission lines in the study area (Table 21; Map 29). A study area has been identified for the potential Northeast Transmission Line and a line proposal for the DCAT transmission line (Map 29). Table 21. Length of transmission lines by watershed. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Total area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Transmission lines (BC Hydro circuits) (km) ,163 58

60 Map 29. Transmission lines within the Peace region of BC 59

61 Wind The Pine watershed contains almost two-thirds (61.2%) of the 263 wind towers in the study area, and just over one-half (51.8%) of the area covered by wind power tenures (Table 22; Map 30). Table 22. Wind power towers and tenures by watershed. Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Total area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Number of Wind towers Wind power tenures (ha) , , ,371 49, ,112 60

62 Map Map 30. Wind power sites within the Peace region of BC 61

63 Industrial and Infrastructure Land Changes ( ) A Landsat 5 satellite-based analysis was performed over two time periods (see Methods and Appendix A for a description of how the analysis was done) for the study area. These include changes due to oil and gas wellsites, clearcuts, mines, roads, pipelines, agricultural clearings, and golf courses. The rate and total amount of industrial and infrastructure change for the entire study area was greater in the earlier period (1974 to 1990) than in the latter period ( ) (Table 23; Map 31). Pine was the only watershed that increased the rate of change from the earlier to latter periods. Over the period 1974 to 2010, the annual rate of change averaged at least 0.27% of the entire study area per year (when excluding linear changes). When including linear changes (i.e., estimated to average 10 m in width), the annual rate of change is 0.28% of the entire study area per year. The rate of change was also examined for oil and gas wells over three time periods ( ; , and; ) (Table 24). Map 32 shows oil and gas wells as of 1950, 1970, 1990 and Map 33 illustrates the recent anthropogenic change adjacent to First Nation reserves. Map 34 illustrated the recent anthropogenic changes adjacent to large protected areas. Table 23. Anthropogenic land changes 1974 to 1990 and 1990 to Change polygons (ha) Change lines (km) Change polygons (ha) Change lines (km) Beatton (1,425,770 ha) Ha or Km Ha or Km / Year Eastern Williston Lake (596,901 ha) Ha or Km Ha or Km / Year Pine (B.C.) (1, ha) Ha or Km Ha or Km / Year Upper Peace - Halfway (1,508,329 ha) Ha or Km Ha or Km / Year Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw (739,852 ha) Ha or Km Ha or Km / Year Total Peace Region Ha or Km Ha or Km / Year 77,640 4,853 11, ,619 3,164 74,075 4,630 49,201 3, ,049 17,253 5, , , , , ,597 2,280 13, ,074 3,604 72,129 3,606 45,079 2, ,774 12,939 4, , , , ,

64 Table 24. Oil and gas wells: number and annual rate of new wells. Year # Wells ,328 Annual rate of new wells , ,

65 Map 31 Recent anthropogenic change within the Peace region of BC 64

66 Number of petroleum and natural gas wells 1950, 1970, 1990 and 2011 in the Peace region of BC. Map 32. Number of petroleum and natural gas wells 1950, 1970, 1990 and 2011 in the Peace region of BC 65

67 Map 33. Recent anthropogenic change adjacent to (First Nation) Indian reserves within the Peace region of BC 66

68 Map 34. Recent anthropogenic change adjacent to protected areas within the Peace region of BC 67

69 Cumulative changes Cumulative changes 6 were mapped and analysed using a number of datasets, such as roads and pipelines, reservoirs, clearcuts, anthropogenic change , mines, urban and agriculture areas. Map 35 shows changes in three major non-overlapping categories: major reservoirs, cumulative disturbances and, disturbances occurring between 1974 and When all changes are combined, the non-overlapping physical footprint of these changes totals 1,135,796 ha (20.2% of the study area) (Table 25; Map 36). The Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw and the Beatton watershed had the largest area disturbed by total area and by percent of the watershed (339,705 ha / 45.9% and 320,255 / 22.5% respectively). To map and determine a possible ecological footprint, we buffered all changes by 500 m (see Methods for a description of the rationale for selecting a 500 m buffer) and the result is that 66.9% of the study area is disturbed. The Beatton watershed has the highest percentage of its area that has been disturbed (90.8%), followed by the Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw watershed (90.2%) (Table 26; Map 37). Table 25. Physical footprint of disturbed area by watershed (ha). Beatton (%) Eastern Williston Lake (%) Pine (B.C.) (%) Upper Peace - Halfway (%) Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw (%) Total 320, , , , , ,135, (%) Table 26. Cumulative changes (buffered by 500 m). Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Total Peace Region Total area (ha) 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,852 5,611,800 Cumulative changes (ha) 1,294, , , , ,712 3,756,025 Cumulative changes (%) We further mapped and described the physical footprint of the changes by biogeoclimatic zone, subzone and variant. Table 27 contains the area of the biogeoclimatic zones, subzones and variants in the 5 watershed in the study area and the biogeoclimatic zones and watersheds are shown on Maps 38 and 39. Of the 5 biogeoclimatic zones in the study area, the Boreal White and Black Spruce and Sub-boreal Spruce zones had the greatest area and percent disturbed (1,011,248 ha / 26.7% and 67,918 / 21.6% respectively) (Tables 28). 6 We define change as all those industrial and infrastructure activities on the land surface that may degrade the natural ecological condition. 68

70 Table 27. Biogeoclimatic zones, subzones and variants in the study area. Zone/Subzone/Variation Beatton Eastern Williston Lake Pine (B.C.) Upper Peace - Halfway Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw Boreal Altai Fescue Alpine 42,999 39,378 47, ,901 Boreal White and Black Spruce 1,418,014 87, , , ,241 3,792,431 Moist Cool 441, ,981 Moist Warm 935,849 56, , , ,124 2,829,915 Wet Cool 40,209 30, , ,263 87, ,535 Graham 40,209 30, , ,226 Murray ,404 10,582 87, ,309 Engelmann Spruce -- Subalpine Fir 368, , ,521 9,603 1,285,621 Moist Very Cold 150, , ,794 9, ,235 Bullmoose 67, ,927 49,920 9, ,803 Graham 83, , ,432 Moist Very Cold Parkland 25,638 17,060 32,562 75,260 Wet Cold 101, ,718 12, ,861 Cariboo 101, ,718 12, ,861 Wet Cold Parkland 31,508 43,076 2,113 76,698 Wet Cool 58, ,605 4, ,567 Misinchinka 58, ,605 4, ,567 Spruce -- Willow -- Birch 7,755 81,278 89,032 Moist Cool 7,216 57,058 64,274 Moist Cool Scrub ,220 24,758 Sub-Boreal Spruce 98, ,775 53, ,805 Moist Cool 5,058 5,058 Wet Cool 93, ,775 53, ,747 Finlay-Peace 93, ,775 53, ,747 Total 1,425, ,901 1,340,948 1,508, ,844 5,611,790 Total 69

71 Table 28. Cumulative changes by watershed and biogeoclimatic zone, subzone and variant. Zone/Subzone/Variation Beatton (%) Eastern Williston Lake (%) Pine (B.C.) (%) Upper Peace - Halfway (%) Upper Peace - Kiskatinaw (%) Total (%) Boreal Altai Fescue Alpine 1 (0.0) 168 (0.4) (0.0) 168 (0.1) Boreal White and Black Spruce 319,916 (22.6) 26,289 (30.2) 117,993 (20.8) 209,067 (21.1) 337,983 (46.3) 1,011,248 (26.7) Moist Cool 38,898 (8.8) 12 (49.4) 38,911 (8.8) Moist Warm 275,999 (29.5) 22,783 (40.3) 98,920 (23.7) 181,854 (23.4) 325,031 (50.5) 904,587 (32.0) Wet Cool 5,019 (12.5) 3,506 (11.5) 19,073 (12.9) 27,201 (12.7) 12,952 (14.9) 67,751 (13.0) Graham 5,019 (12.5) 3,481 (11.5) 26,578 (13.0) 35,078 (12.8) Murray 25 (11.9) 19,073 (12.9) 624 (5.9) 12,952 (14.9) 32,673 (13.3) Engelmann Spruce -- Subalpine Fir 9,042 (2.5) 34,471 (6.0) 10,484 (3.1) 1,722 (17.9) 55,718 (4.3) Moist Very Cold 7,613 (5.0) 19,170 (8.6) 9,375 (3.3) 1,722 (17.9) 37,879 (5.7) Bullmoose 4,010 (6.0) 19,170 (8.6) 6,170 (12.4) 1,722 (17.9) 31,072 (8.9) Graham 3,603 (4.3) 3,205 (1.4) 6,807 (2.1) Moist Very Cold Parkland 23 (0.1) 894 (5.2) 0 (0.0) 917 (1.2) Wet Cold 151 (0.1) 2,044 (1.5) 331 (2.7) 2,526 (1.0) Cariboo 151 (0.1) 2,044 (1.5) 331 (2.7) 2,526 (1.0) Wet Cold Parkland (0.0) 7 (0.0) (0.0) 7 (0.0) Wet Cool 1,254 (2.2) 12,355 (8.3) 778 (16.4) 14,388 (6.8) Misinchinka 1,254 (2.2) 12,355 (8.3) 778 (16.4) 14,388 (6.8) Spruce -- Willow -- Birch 339 (4.4) 405 (0.5) 744 (0.8) Moist Cool 335 (4.6) 390 (0.7) 725 (1.1) Moist Cool Scrub 3 (0.6) 16 (0.1) 19 (0.1) Sub-Boreal Spruce 30,201 (30.6) 26,426 (16.2) 11,291 (21.2) 67,918 (21.6) Moist Cool 3,643 (72.0) 3,643 (72.0) Wet Cool 26,557 (28.4) 26,426 (16.2) 11,291 (21.2) 64,275 (20.8) Finlay-Peace 26,557 (28.4) 26,426 (16.2) 11,291 (21.2) 64,275 (20.8) Total 320,255 (22.5) 65,532 (11.0) 179,058 (13.4) 231,247 (15.3) 339,705 (45.9) 1,135,796 (20.2) 70

72 Map 35. Cumulative changes within the Peace region of BC (three major categories of disturbances) 71

73 Map 36. Cumulative changes within the Peace region of BC (all combined disturbances) 72

74 Map 37. Cumulative changes (buffered by 500 m) within the Peace region of BC 73

75 Map 38. Biogeoclimatic zones within the Peace region of BC 74

76 Map 39. Percent of biogeoclimatic zones impacted by cumulative human disturbances within the Peace region of BC 75

77 Examples of proposed future industrial activity Map 40 illustrates examples of areas of proposed potential future industrial activities. We define examples of proposed future industrial activity as including: potential run-of-river hydro developments, proposed coal mines, mining exploration projects, proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, mineral tenures, proposed Site C reservoir, active petroleum and natural gas tenures, and conventional and non-conventional oil and gas fields. Map 40. Proposed future industrial activity within the Peace region of BC 76

78 Caribou Environment Canada (2011) 7 derived range-specific disturbance-based management thresholds from generalized disturbance-population growth function in conjunction with range-specific information. Below 35% range disturbance, the range is generally self-sustaining. Above 45%, the range is generally not self-sustaining. Between 35% and 45% the there is uncertainty as to the self-sustainability of the caribou herd. To be conservative for display purposes, we mapped thresholds of <30%, 30% to 50% and >50% anthropogenic disturbances. Three of the 10 caribou herd ranges that are all or partly within the study area are more than 50% disturbed (when buffered by 500 m) (see Methods for a description of the rationale for a 500 m buffer) by a combination of roads, mines, settlements, pipelines, wellsites and other industrial and infrastructure activities (Table 29; Maps 41 and 42). NOTE: The word disturbance is used here as consistent with Environment Canada s 2011 science assessment. Table 29. Caribou herd risk/status and cumulative disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within the Peace region of BC. Herd within Peace region Herd area (ha) in study area Cumulative human disturbance (500 m buffer) (ha) Percent of herd range in study area impacted by human disturbance Chinchaga 491, , Hart Ranges 11, Burnt Pine 71,015 39, Kennedy Siding 124,715 25, Moberly 329, , Quintette 591, , Scott 94,825 17, Narraway 163,314 76, Pink Mountain 60,363 20, Graham 799, , Total 2,736,600 1,274, Environment Canada, Scientific Assessment to Inform the Identification of Critical Habitat for Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population, in Canada: 2011 Update. Ottawa,Ontario, Canada. 102 pp. plus appendices. 77

79 Map 41. Caribou herds risk/status and cumulative disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within Peace region of BC 78

80 Map 42. Percent of caribou herd range impacted by cumulative human disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within Peace region of BC 79

81 Grizzly Bear The primary limiting factor for grizzly bears in British Columbia is human-caused mortality, associated with expanding road access, habitat loss and alteration. 8 Historical reductions in grizzly bear populations in the Peace region were likely due to extensive agricultural land conversion resulting in habitat loss and unrestricted hunting, including predator control. Forestry activities in the Peace region are likely a continuing major influencing factor and petroleum and natural gas exploration and development have rapidly increased as a major influencing factor. Although some of these activities can confer short-term benefits on grizzlies in some areas, such as increased growth of berry-producing plants in clearcuts, most of these benefits are negated by increased access by humans. Map 43 illustrates cumulative industrial/human-caused changes (buffered by 500 m) within the British Columbia government s Grizzly Bear Management Units. 8 Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks Conservation of Grizzly Bears in British Columbia: Background Report. 70 pp. 80

82 Map 43. Grizzly bear management units and cumulative disturbances (buffered by 500 m) within the Peace region of BC 81

83 Summary of findings British Columbia`s Peace Region has experienced rapidly escalating changes due to a convergence of industrial interests on the same land base. The purposes of this study are: 1. To spatially describe the suite of major ecosystem types (natural capital stocks) in the region, as well as key areas or administrative units for select focal wildlife species (caribou and grizzly). 2. To spatially describe current major industrial land use changes to natural capital in the region (forestry, oil and gas, roads, hydro etc.). 3. To spatially describe the change in natural capital over the last decades as a result of recent industrial development. Highlights include: - The 56,118 km 2 study area consists of those portions of 5 fundamental watersheds that are within the Peace Region of British Columbia. - The study area is virtually entirely within Treaty 8. - There are 5 Aboriginal communities, 6 First Nations reserves (totalling 114 km2 or 0.2% of the study area). - There are 28 protected areas totalling 2,356 km2 or 4.2% of the study area. - The dominant major land cover type is Coniferous Forest (43% of the study area), followed by Deciduous Forest (18%). - Two of the five watersheds have very few remaining intact forest landscapes (<6% each) Beatton and Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw while one (Williston Lake) has over 70% remaining as intact forest landscapes. The mean percentage of Intact Forest Landscapes within the study area s watersheds is 30.6%. For all of British Columbia, the mean percentage of Intact Forest Landscapes within its watersheds is double at 61.3%. - There are 16,267 oil and gas wellsites, each averaging 1 ha in size, and 8,517 petroleum and natural gas facilities. - There are 9,781 km 2 of active oil and gas tenures, 284 km 2 of oil and gas pipeline rightsof-way, 28,587 km of pipelines (52.1% of the total pipelines length in British Columbia). 82

84 - 2,167 oil and gas wells are within 500 m of a significant-sized waterbody. There have been 2,296 water (river/stream) crossings by the oil and gas industry, and 477 points of water withdrawal by the oil and gas industry. - Within the study area, there are 3,868 km 2 of coal tenures, 243 km 2 of mineral tenures, 4 coal mines and 4 proposed coal mines and 2 coal exploration projects. - There are thousands of existing and planned logging cutblocks totalling 5,097 km 2. - There are two large-scale hydroelectric dams (W.A.C. Bennett and Peace Canyon dams) with reservoirs (Williston the largest hydro reservoir in British Colubia and the 7 th largest in the world at 1761 km2 and Dinosaur reservoirs), one large proposed dam and reservoir (Site C) and 247 potential run-of-river hydropower sites. - 8,503 km 2 are private land and the vast majority of this is agricultural areas. 2,272 km 2 of the study area is cropland, 1,847 km 2 is forage land and 1,038 km 2 is grassland (most of which is used for grazing cattle). - There are 45,293 km of roads (includes paved highways, resource roads, local roads, etc.), 1,163 km of transmission lines and 28,587 km of oil and gas pipelines, for a minimum of 75,043 km of linear road-equivalents. - A Landsat 5 satellite-based analysis was performed over two time periods 1974 to 1990 and 1990 to 2010 to determine the pace and scale of industrial-caused and infrastructure-caused changes to the study area. These include changes such as oil and gas wellsites, clearcuts, mines, roads and pipelines, agricultural clearings, golf courses. The rate of industrial and infrastructure change for the entire study area was greater in the earlier period (1974 to 1990) than in the latter period ( ). Over the period 1974 to 2010, the annual rate of change averaged at least 0.27% per year (when excluding linear changes). When including linear changes (i.e., estimated to average 10 m in width), the annual rate of change is 0.28% per year. - When all changes are combined, the physical footprint of these changes totals 1,135,796 ha (20.2% of the study area), The Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw and the Beatton watershed had the largest area disturbed by total area and by percent of the watershed (339,705 ha / 45.9% and 320,255 / 22.5% respectively). - When changes are buffered by 500 m to establish an ecological footprint, the result is that 66.9% of the study area is disturbed. The Beatton watershed has the highest percentage of its area that has been disturbed (90.8%), followed by the Upper Peace-Kiskatinaw watershed (90.2%). - In terms of the physical footprint of the changes by the 5 biogeoclimatic zones in the study area, the Boreal White and Black Spruce and Sub-boreal Spruce zones had the greatest area and percent disturbed (1,011,248 ha / 26.7% and 67,918 / 21.6% respectively). 83

85 - Three of the 10 caribou herd ranges that are all or partly within the study area are more than 50% disturbed (when buffered by 500 m) by a combination of roads, mines, settlements, pipelines, wellsites and other industrial and infrastructure activities. The maps and analyses in this report are considered very conservative in relation to the actual amounts of various industrial-caused land changes. For example, the cumulative change calculations do not include seismic exploration changes because we did not have a high level of confidence in the available datasets. Photo: Bright yellow fields of canola add to the stunning beauty of the Peace River valley. (Juri Peepre) 84

86 Appendix A: Industrial-caused landscape changes Change detection was completed within the study area using Landsat TM and MSS images for two time periods: 1) approximately 1974 to 1990; and 2) approximately 1990 to Tables 30 and 31 have the complete list of Landsat images and their acquisition date used for the change analysis for the two time periods. Figure 3 shows the Landsat image pair footprint used for the change analysis within the study area for the two time periods. Table 30. Landsat image pairs used for change detection for the approximate period of Landsat/Sensor Path/Row Date (dd/mm/yyyy) Source Processing Level Correction level 5/TM 48/20 19/08/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 48/20 24/09/2009 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 48/21 19/08/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 48/21 25/07/2010 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 47/22 11/07/2009 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 47/22 31/07/2009 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/20 25/07/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/20 29/07/2009 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/21 10/08/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/21 18/09/2010 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/22 10/08/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/22 18/09/2010 USGS LPGS L1T LPGS = Level 1 Product Generation System (LPGS) L1T = Standard Terrain Correction Table 31. Landsat image pairs used for change detection for the approximate period of Landsat/Sensor Path/Row Date (dd/mm/yyyy) Source Processing Level Correction level 1/MSS 52/20 21/07/1974 USGS LPGS L1G 5/TM 48/20 19/08/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 1/MSS 52/21 21/07/1974 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 48/21 19/08/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 1/MSS 52/22 21/07/1974 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 48/22 24/08/1992 USGS LPGS L1T 1/MSS 54/20 20/08/1972 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/20 25/07/1990 USGS LPGS L1T 1/MSS 54/21 17/06/1974 USGS LPGS L1T 5/TM 49/21 10/08/1990 USGS LPGS L1T LPGS = Level 1 Product Generation System (LPGS) L1T = Standard Terrain Correction L1G = Systematic Correction 85

87 Figure 3. Landsat image pair footprints. Left: ~ time period; Right:~ time period Image pre-processing There are two critical pre-processing steps that have to be applied to a series of temporal images before they can be used for change detection. The first is spatial registration to ensure spatial coincidence of features; the second is radiometric calibration and normalization to ensure that changes in spectral reflectance correspond to actual changes on the ground. These pre-processing steps are required to avoid errors in analysis and misinterpretation of change events (Lu et al., 2004). 9 All TM and MSS images were obtained from USGS, processed with the Level 1 Product Generation System (LPGS) and corrected with the Standard Terrain Correction (Level 1T) with the exception of one image which was corrected using Systematic Correction (Level 1G). Images were acquired in the leaf-on season with less than 10% cloud cover. The MSS images were resampled from their native resolution of 57 m to 30 m to match the resolution of the TM images. Image Registration All images were registered to the base 1990 TM images using a combination of automated and manual tie point selection using a 1st order polynomial model in ERDAS IMAGINE The images were co-registered to the base images with a RMS error of less than 30 m (1 pixel) 9 Lu, D., Mausel, P., Brondizio, E., & Moran, E Change detection techniques. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 25(12),

88 Radiometric calibration and Normalization We modified the COST model from Chavez (1996) 10 to convert digital numbers to atmospheric corrected reflectance values for MSS and TM images using the coefficients given by Chander et al. (2009) 11 and updated with the coefficients reported from USGS calibration files (November 15, 2011). The COST model was modified using the Minimum DN selection procedure from Mauz (2002) 12 and the Landsat 5 Atmospheric and Radiometic Correction methods from Arizona Remote Sensing Center (2002). 13 Normalization between TM image pairs (~ time period) was performed using a simple histogram matching algorithm. Normalization between Landsat TM and MSS image pairs (~ time period) was more challenging because they are acquired with different sensors. The respective spectral bands of MSS and TM images do not have corresponding wavelengths, so image analysis such as change detection requires that the images be converted to a comparative index before analysis. Tasseled Cap Transformation (TCT) converts the Landsat bands into composite values which can be compared between the TM and MSS sensors. The first two orthogonal components of the TCT, Brightness (B) and Greenness (G) define the vegetation plane (Crist & Cicone, 1984) 14 and are a practical bridge between MSS and TM-ETM+ imagery (Gomez et al., 2011). The Greenness and Brightness components of the TCT were calculated for each TM and MSS image pair using the coefficients from Gomez et al. (2011). 15 For relative radiometric normalization we applied IR- MAD (Iteratively Reweighted Multivariate Alteration Detection) to the Brightness and Greenness components using the python routines IR-MAD and RADCAL following the procedure from Canty (2011). 16 For this procedure, the MSS image was normalized to the TM image using cloud and haze free subset of the TM image as the reference. Tasselled Cap Angle The Tasseled Cap Angle (TCA), defined as the angle formed by G and B in the vegetation plane (Eq. 1), condenses in a single value the information of the relation G/B and represents essentially the proportion of vegetation to non-vegetation (Gomez et al., 2011). TCA was calculated for both the TM and MSS images and would then form one of the bases from which change was detected through image differencing. Eq. 1: TCA = arctan (G/B) 10 Chavez, P. S., jr Image-based atmospheric corrections - Revisited and Improved. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 62 (9): Chander, G., Markham, B. L., Helder, D. H Summary of current radiometric calibration coefficients for Landsat MSS, TM, ETM+, and EO-1 ALI sensors. Remote Sensing of Environment, 113, Mauz, K New and Improved Procedure for Minimum DN Selection for input to the COST Model for Atmospheric Correction. (June 6, 2012) 13 Arizona Remote Sensing Center Landsat 5 Atmospheric and Radiometric Correction. (June 6, 2012) 14 Crist, E. P., Cicone, R. C A physically based transformation of Thematic Mapper data The TM tasseled Cap. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 22(23), Gómez, C., White, J.C., Wulder, M.A Characterizing the state and processes of change in a dynamic forest environment using hierarchical spatio-temporal segmentation. Remote Sensing of Environment 115(7): Canty, M The MAD MAN: Change Detection and Radiometric Normalization with ENVI/IDL and Python. Institute for Bio- and Geosciences, Jülich Research Center, Jülich, Germany. m.canty@fz-juelich.de 87

89 Change analysis Once the images were radiometrically corrected and normalized, change was detected using a simple image differencing algorithm, which computes the difference between two images and outputs changes that exceed a user-specified threshold. The threshold was determined by visually interpreting the results of a range of threshold values and selecting the value that maximizes the detection of actual change without introducing an excessive amount of noise (change from natural variations in spectral reflectance). Image differencing between TM image pairs (~ time period) was computed by subtracting the spectral reflectance of band 5 of the Time 1 image from the Time 2 image. Change detection between MSS and TM image pairs (~ time period) was computed by combining two image differencing techniques; 1) the image difference of the TCA calculations and; 2) the image difference of the TCT brightness components. We found that the image difference of the TCA calculations was not effective in detecting changes that occurred greater than 3-5 years apart within coniferous dominated vegetation. Because we were detecting change between images about years apart this method, on its own, was not able to adequately detect all changes within the time period. Through experimentation, we found that the image difference of the TCT brightness components was able to adequately detect change within coniferous vegetation, but not as effective at detecting change in deciduous dominated vegetation. Therefore, combining the two image differencing outputs enabled us to detect nearly the full range of forest land use change. Specifically, the TCA Time 2 (TM) image was subtracted from the Time 1 (MSS) TCA image; and the Time 1 (MSS) brightness image was subtracted from the Time 2 (TM) brightness image. The two image differencing outputs were then merged into a single image to create the final change detection product. Change verification This study was mainly concerned with land use changes resulting from industry-caused uses within natural landscapes (typically forested). Therefore, the outputs from change detection were manually checked to eliminate other land use changes (eg. agriculture to urban) and to correct errors of omission or commission. The change detection output was converted to a vector format and visually inspected at a scale of about 1:40,000 and corrections were made through heads up digitizing. Due to the resolution of the Landsat images linear changes were commonly not captured in the change detection process. A polyline layer was created to manually digitize these linear changes. 88

90 Buffering changes The final analysis and mapping of cumulative anthropogenic changes was performed using a 500 metre buffer to all known anthropogenic changes. A buffer was applied in order to consider an ecological footprint beyond the physical footprint of the changes. The 500 m distance was selected following the most recent science assessment of the effects of anthropogenic changes on woodland caribou analyses of a range of buffer widths demonstrated that a 500 m buffer on anthropogenic changes provided an appropriate, minimum approximation of the zone of influence of these features on caribou demography. [This] explained 69% of the variation in calf recruitment across a sample of twenty-four (24) ranges based on the percent total disturbance (fire m buffered anthropogenic disturbance. ) on each range... Most of the negative effects of disturbance were attributed to human development (60% in isolation), while only 5% of the variation in recruitment could be attributed to fire alone. Environment Canada, Scientific Assessment to Inform the Identification of Critical Habitat for Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population, in Canada: 2011 Update. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 102 pp. plus appendices. 89

91 Appendix B: Data sources Table 32. Data sources. Dataset Source URL Aboriginal communities Agriculture Land Reserve Anthropogenic change ( ) Date Accessed Aboriginal Canada Portal ~09/10/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~10/15/2011 Global Forest Watch Canada copyright restricted ~01/12/2012 ArcGIS - World imagery Source: ESRI, i-cubed, USDA FSA, USGS, AEX, GeoEye, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGP f9684e4a9f6a7f08febac2a9 ~11/20/2011 BC Hydro transmission line centerlines BC Hydro survey data compilation /maps/ ~11/20/2011 Bing maps aerial imagery Biogeoclimatic Subzone/Variant Map (version 8) (c) 2010 Microsoft Corporation and its data suppliers g-maps.html ~11/20/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~3/1/2012 Borrow pits GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 BTM (Baseline Thematic Mapping) Present Land Use v1 Caribou Herd Locations for BC GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~10/15/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~7/24/2009 Company cutblocks Treaty 8 Tribal Association pers. comm. ~10/05/2011 CP212/K'ihtsaa?dze Treaty 8 Tribal Association pers. comm. ~10/05/2011 Cumulative access Global Forest Watch Canada copyright restricted ~10/15/2011 DCAT preferred route/ substation BChydro /info_center.html 3/1/2012 Digital road atlas GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 Drainage areas (FDA [Fundamental Drainage Area]) Electric powerline tenures (TANTALIS - Crown Tenures) Grizzly Bear Population Units (GBPU) Historical Treaties Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada ~09/10/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service 8/24/2009 Reproduced with the permission of Natural Resources Canada 2010, courtesy of the Atlas of Canada diantreaties ~10/15/2011 First Nations (Indian) reserves NRCAN, National Framework Canada Lands Administrative Boundaries Level 1 ~09/10/

92 Intact Forest Landscapes Global Forest Watch Canada ~09/10/2011 Land Cover for agricultural regions of Canada, circa 2000 Government of Canada / Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (GC/AAFC) ~09/10/2011 Major reservoirs Global Forest Watch Canada ~10/15/2011 Mineral tenures GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 Mines GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 Montney Basin Unconventional Play Trend Natural Earth physical map Northeast transmission line study GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 US National Park Service Global Forest Watch Canada ap digitized from: BC Hydro map received from Treaty 8 Tribal Association 10/23/2012 Oil and Gas fields GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 PFRA (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Association) generalized land cover Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada ~10/15/2011 Pipeline rights of way GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 Pipelines IHS Energy copyright restricted ~09/10/2010 PNG (Petroleum and Natural Gas) tenures GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 PNG facilities GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 Points of diversion for water withdrawl Potential Run of river hydro GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 BC Hydro 2008 Long Term Acquisition Plan, Appendix F5 public/pubdocs/bcdocs/441362/2008/appendix_f5.pdf ~12/15/2010 Private lands Treaty 8 Tribal Association pers. comm. (no date) ~11/20/2011 Proposed Northern gateway pipeline Enbridge Gateway Prelimentary Information Package wse ~4/20/2009 Protected areas GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~10/15/2011 Seismic lines GeoBC Data Distribution Service 4/11/

93 Site C reservoir Timber Supply Areas Transmission lines/tenures BC Hydro. May Project Description: Site C Clean Energy Project. Digitized from map, Page ments/planning_regulatory/site_c/2011q2/site_c_proj ect_description.par.0001.file.site_c_project_descripti on_report_%20may_2011.pdf ~5/1/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 Treaty 8 Tribal Association pers. comm. (no date) ~11/20/2011 Tree Farm Licenses GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~~11/20/2011 Unconventional gas fields Unconventional play trends Water course crossings Watershed boundaries GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 GeoBC Data Distribution Service ~11/20/2011 Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Canada Centre for Remote Sensing, The Atlas of Canada; 1M National Frameworks Data, Hydrology Drainage Areas ~10/15/2011 Well sites IHS Energy (copyright-restricted) copyright restricted ~9/20/2009 Wind power tenures Treaty 8 Tribal Association pers. comm. (no date) Wind test towers Treaty 8 Tribal Association pers. comm. (no date) Y2Y region Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) pers. comm. (no date) Appendix C: Review A key principle of Global Forest Watch Canada is that transparency and accountability are essential for developing improved land management. In the interest of promoting open, public, and transparent information policies, all Global Forest Watch Canada projects include a review process and the publication of a summary of the major comments provided by the reviewers, including how these comments were addressed. We conducted three reviews of drafts of this report and maps. Firstly, we sent out invitations to review the draft results and final report and maps to academic and government experts as well as to representatives from environmental NGOs. We sent out 24 review invitations, and also posted a review invitation to the general public on the front page of our website. The review materials were available for a 1.5 month period. We received 10 responses from the invited reviewers, and also received very helpful advice from some during the development of this project. Secondly, we sent out a revised draft to the initial 10 responders. Finally, we presented a final draft to the Treaty 8 Tribal Association. 92

94 In the initial review, there was an important split of opinion between those who believe our maps reflect disturbances and those who believe they reflect changes. This major comment and others are addressed below. Following are the major comments we received that we may not have adequately addressed in the body of the report, and our responses: Terminology Disturbances versus changes Terminology is critically important! The report and maps should use the term disturbances / changes versus changes / disturbances. GFWC Response: We agree that terminology is important. Both standard and ecological definitions of these words are not helpful in deciding which to use in this case (e.g., Oxford Dictionary defines them as: Change an act or process through which something becomes different; Disturbance the interruption of a settled and peaceful condition). We decided to use what we considered to be the weaker and less destructive term, i.e., change. We consistently use the term change with one exception for the section and maps on caribou; we use the term disturbances to be consistent with the science literature we were referencing on this topic. Endangered Species Is it possible to list off all the threatened animals and the groups that are wiped out? I know there are a couple of caribou herds gone now. GFWC Response: This is an excellent suggestion but beyond the scope of this project. See next comment. Regional, national and global significance of the area More of an effort should have been made to assess the regional, national and global significance of the area. GFWC Response: This is an excellent suggestion as several indicators of broad significance of this area emerged during the course of this study, including: 1) within British Columbia, Canada and North America, the region seems to contain an important pinch-point for intact landscapes, especially high elevation landscapes; 2) within the Western Cordillera of British Columbia, Canada and North America, the region seems to contain an important pinch-point for the Yellowstone to Yukon geographic area for the movement of large mammals; 3) there 93

95 seems to be an unusual meeting of several hemispheric ecological regions within the study area, which may indicate high biodiversity. Buffers and Pipelines It would be useful to have this information also presented with a buffer around each of the pipelines, making reference to the literature on the buffer size. GFWC Response: This is an example of one of many additional analyses that could be done and that would be both interesting and potentially useful. Others include: relevant ecological buffers to various road categories; species-specific buffers to mines and settlements. Our study used the example of caribou to apply buffers to disturbances, but we did not intend to be exhaustive on all the analyses that could be done with the assembled geospatial data. A proper cumulative effects study should be conducted in the area that would include this more comprehensive work. Most of the datasets that we used are publically available and various analyses could be done depending on project objectives. Oil and gas water volume withdrawals Are volumes available for each identified point of water withdrawal by the oil and gas industry? GFWC Response: No. they were not available to the authors of this project. Mines More coal mines than are shown in this report are proposed within the region. Since you are including other potential future developments, you may also want to include these potential mines. GFWC Response: We believe we did not succeed in identifying all proposed and potential coal mines. This should be researched and added to future updates or similar new projects. Reliability of the datasets Have you considered that some the datasets you used may be out of date or inaccurate? GFWC Response: This can always be a problem for mapping projects that use geospatial data acquired from a variety of sources. One the one hand, we were fortunate that the British Columbia government makes much geospatial data readily available and most of that data is accompanied by detailed metadata. Some other datasets had no metadata and some had inadequate data. 94

96 Global Forest Watch Canada provides access to more complete information about development activities in Canada s forests and their environmental impacts. We are convinced that providing greater information about Canada s forests will lead to better decision-making on forest management and use, which ultimately will result in forest management regimes that provide a full range of benefits for both present and future generations. Find out more / contact us: Website: Mailing Address: Street, Edmonton AB T5N 3A3 Phone: