Investigating landscape change and ecological restoration: an integrated approach using historical ecology and GIS in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta

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dc.contributor.authorLevesque, Lisa Marie
dc.contributor.supervisorHiggs, Eric
dc.contributor.supervisorKeller, Peter
dc.date.accessioned2005-09-02T20:08:30Z
dc.date.available2005-09-02T20:08:30Z
dc.date.copyright2005
dc.date.issued2005-09-02T20:08:30Z
dc.degree.departmentSchool of Environmental Studiesen
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science M.Sc.en
dc.description.abstractThis thesis examines landscape change from 1889 to the present within the foothills-parkland ecoregion of Waterton Lakes National Park (WLNP) in southwestern Alberta, Canada. Land cover dynamics are explored qualitatively and quantitatively using Geographical Information Systems and a combination of historical and contemporary data sources including: (1) Dominion Land Survey (DLS) transect records (1889), (2) repeat oblique photographs (1914 and 2004) and repeat aerial photography (1939 and 1999). Results indicate a consistent increase in woody vegetation cover, particularly aspen forest cover, within the foothills-parkland since 1889, largely at the expense of native grasslands. The primary drivers of these changes likely include: climatic influences, changes to the historical grazing regime, the suppression of natural fire cycles and the cessation of First Nations’ land management practices. This research illustrates the value of integrating multiple historical data sources for studying landscape change in the Canadian Rockies, and explores the implications of this change for ecological restoration in the foothills-parkland of WLNP.en
dc.format.extent4346759 bytes
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/37
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rightsAvailable for worldwide weben
dc.subjectlandscape changeen
dc.subjectrepeat photographyen
dc.subjectGISen
dc.subjecthistorical ecologyen
dc.subjectWaterton Lakes National Parken
dc.subjectAlbertaen
dc.subjectaspenen
dc.subjectPopulus tremuloides (Michx.)en
dc.subjectvegetation dynamicsen
dc.subjectRocky Mountainsen
dc.subjectbisonen
dc.subjectfire ecologyen
dc.subjectland survey recordsen
dc.subjectfoothills-parklanden
dc.subjectfescue prairieen
dc.subject.lcshEnvironmental sciencesen
dc.subject.lcshGeographyen
dc.titleInvestigating landscape change and ecological restoration: an integrated approach using historical ecology and GIS in Waterton Lakes National Park, Albertaen
dc.typeThesisen

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