The power of conservation technology
NCC is transforming the future of conservation planning with two new publicly available tools
St. Peters Harbour (Photo by Jenna Rachelle)
More than 30 years after establishing a goal to protect seven per cent of its 566,000 hectares, the Province of Prince Edward Island partnered with NCC to explore new tools to help guide a new conservation plan for the future.
Prince Edward Island looks a lot different than it did 30 years ago, and it’s clearer more than ever that if we are to embrace the whole-of-society approach to protect nature and reach Canada’s target of protecting 30 per cent of our lands and waters by 2030 (known as 30x30), that we need to make sure we are protecting the areas of highest biodiversity. NCC has stepped in with an innovative, high-tech solution, one that can help PEI make strategic decisions in protected area planning and allows us to initiate this groundbreaking pilot project over an entire province.
Marc Edwards (Provided)
In 2021, NCC unveiled a five-year conservation technology strategy to embed cutting-edge technologies into daily conservation work. “The goal of this project is for NCC to become proactive and nimble by linking the work we’re doing on the ground to the goals and directions set out in the strategic plan,” explains Marc Edwards, NCC’s systematic conservation planning specialist.
Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), NCC’s tech specialists developed a computer model that uses data to show where people have observed certain species and extrapolates that information to where that species is likely to live across the country. They are currently mapping the coast-to-coast habitats of more than 5,000 different species and counting.
That data, in turn, is informing two other tools co-developed by NCC and Carleton University. The Where to Work tool merges the biodiversity maps of every targeted species to identify the areas where NCC’s efforts could have the biggest impact, while the What to Do tool tells staff which conservation actions are likely to deliver the biggest impacts at the lowest cost. These tools are developed using open science principles, meaning they are openly sourced and free for anyone to use.
Atlantic Canada recently became the first NCC region to pilot the Where to Work tool with nearly a dozen conservation partners across PEI.
Lanna Campbell (Photo by Jenna Rachelle)
“This was a first-time opportunity for PEI to use a decision-support tool to create a spatial plan of protected areas for the future,” says Lanna Campbell, NCC’s Prince Edward Island program director, who is overseeing the development of the PEI Natural Heritage Conservation Plan.
In April, our PEI conservation partner groups received a live virtual demo and free access to the Where to Work software, making this the first time NCC has “socialized” conservation planning by putting the tools directly into the hands of our partners. The time is ripe to apply this tool to select the best conservation projects to maximize our collective goals.
“What happens next is up to our partners, but NCC will be there to support our partners in making informed decisions to ensure the most special areas of Prince Edward Island are protected for the future,” says Lanna. “Nature needs us to plan together.
