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Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

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Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute ( ABMI ) is an agency that monitors and reports on biodiversity status throughout the province of Alberta, Canada , that is funded equally by the government of Alberta and the oil and gas industry. The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute is based in Edmonton , Alberta. According to Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF), a key partner in the ABMI, the ABMI, which acts as "an early warning system by monitoring the cumulative effects of biodiversity change in regions throughout Alberta" is "the largest project of its kind ever attempted in Canada." Collaborating agencies include the government-industry research agency Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures, the University of Alberta , University of Calgary and the Royal Alberta Museum . Along with the Alberta Forest Management Planning Standard, the ABMI are key components to implementing resource planning based on ecosystem management principles. Alberta Environment and Parks consults the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Agency's reports in monitoring and preservation of species, setting benchmarks for biodiversity for land use plans. If industry contributes to the endangerment of a species that falls below these benchmarks, the Government of Alberta can order remedial action.

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55-687: The ABMI Science Centres are located at the University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates and the University of Calgary. Their Processing Centre is at the Royal Alberta Museum and their Information and Application Centre is at the University of Alberta. The ABMI Monitoring Centre is located at Alberta Innovates Technology Futures offices in Vegreville. Dan Farr has been Director at the Application Centre since April 2010. Since

110-484: A bigger footprint on northern Alberta landscape than the oilsands industry or forestry", the former is static whereas the latter are expanding and they are on Crown land where the government has more authority. The ABMI Board of Directors has from seven to fourteen Directors "representing the Government of Alberta, environmental non-governmental organization sector, forest sector, energy sector, agriculture sector, and

165-799: A broad diversity of biota, habitat structures, vegetation communities, and landscapes patterns within Alberta. These protocols have been reviewed by other scientists from across North America and have been amalgamated into an integrated design that will effectively and efficiently survey all elements. The ABMP is designed to monitor long-term, broad-scale changes in biodiversity, many of which are anticipated to be difficult to detect because they occur slowly over time. The ABMP will facilitate comparisons among geographic regions, and will feed information into an adaptive management process so that resource managers can evaluate long-term sustainability of biodiversity and natural resources. Information and analyses generated from

220-722: A committee to develop a public communications strategy focused on fracturing and water use associated with shale gas development." Senior-level government and industry officials attended the joint meeting "to develop a plan to shape public perceptions of shale gas development and water use." From Alberta Energy participants included Director of Unconventional Gas Doug Bowes, Associate Branch Head Matthew Foss, Environment and Resource Services Audrey Murray, Executive Director of Resource Development Sharla Rauschning, Assistant Deputy Minister Resource Development Policy Division Jennifer Steber. From Alberta Environment participants included, Deputy Minister Ernie Hui, Former Head of Groundwater Policy within

275-504: A day, and 6.4 trillion cubic feet (180 km ) of natural gas per year. In 2013, an IPSOS poll showed a majority (75%) of Canadians prioritize local crude before using imported oil from foreign sources, while just over one in ten (14%) ‘disagree’ (4% strongly/11% somewhat) and 11% have no opinion. CAPP has advocated for the industry as GHG emissions rose 14% in 2009 and 2010, by its own admission. However, GHG emissions per barrel of oil sands crude produced have dropped by 26% since 1990 as

330-631: A diversity of biota, over broad spatial scales and long time periods." In a 2007 interview ABMI lead scientist, Jim Schieck of the Alberta Research Council, described how the ABMI "program was developed in the last 5 years, 6 or 7 years." The team of 7 or 8 people at the University of Alberta were investigating effective management and monitoring of biota using statistical data management on species and habitats and ecosystems to set benchmarks for future reference. Phase 2 (2003-2007) involved

385-678: A group of researchers reviewed literature regarding protocols for sampling terrestrial biota and habitat structures. Scientists involved in the research included "Dan Farr, Chris Shank, Rich Moses, Stan Boutin , Erin Bayne (vertebrates), Phil Lee, Steve Hanus (forest structure and vascular plants), Jennifer Doubt, Rene Belland (mosses), Anna-Liisa Sippola, Jogeir Stokland (fungi), Neville Winchester, Bert Finnamore, Jeff Battigelli, Heather Proctor (arthropods), and others." Jim Schieck, Chris Shank and Dan Farr combined these protocols into an integrated suite "designed to be cost effective and capable of monitoring

440-465: A letter to CAPP President and CEO Tim McMillan telling him to back off from advocating for the indefinite delay of the implementation of UNDRIP in Canada. Macmillan responded by affirming CAPP's support of UNDRIP, but maintaining that such legislation shouldn't be adopted during the pandemic because of the government's limited ability to hold consultations during this time. Additional information about

495-939: A letter to pressure U.S. President Barack Obama to reject the $ 7-billion pipeline expansion project by the Canadian-based company TransCanada to build the Keystone XL. The position of the Nobel Peace Prize winners, essentially, is that one rich nation selling increasingly heavy high-carbon oil to another sabotages any effort to reach a deal on global carbon controls, and that moves to expand this export (like Keystone XL or Northern Gateway ) cause significant and direct risks to world peace, as climate victim countries become subject to chaotic weather, fighting over scarce water (especially in Southeast Asia and Africa), flooding and rising sea levels. CAPP opposed

550-511: A major crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic , as Canadian crude oil prices fell to records low. Facing dire economic prospects, CAPP intensified its lobbying efforts with the federal government. On March 27, the group sent a 13-page letter to Natural Resources minister Seamus O'Regan and other ministers to ask them to defer or waive some of the industry's regulatory obligation, to defer the development or implementation of new policies regarding

605-540: A public audience. Government of Alberta , Joint meeting with CAPP held 9 June 2011 By 29 November 2011, the CBC and the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), were investigating the role played by CAPP in influencing Alberta Environment over public communications surrounding shale gas extraction, a controversial practice that has significant environmental concerns associated with it, especially when fracturing

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660-434: A result of new operating practices and technology. According to IHS CERA, oil sands crude has similar CO 2 emissions to other heavy oils and is 9% more intensive than the U.S. crude supply average on a wells-to-wheels basis. The industry employs 550,000 people and paid billions in taxes and royalties to different levels of government. Advocacy for Oil Sands CAPP's series of meetings in 2010 in eight cities in Canada and

715-548: A small company in Saskatoon to develop equipment with highly sensitive microphones to record bird vocalizations digitally that could then be interpreted in a laboratory setting. This standardized the process using "technology that records bird calls at a very fine level, and then having an expert go through the calls to identify the birds correctly." In 2006 the Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) at

770-709: A strong position against hydraulic fracturing and want it banned in Canada entirely, and have supported specific bans in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick . CAPP supports and advocates for exports of Canadian crude oil via Canada's west coast via the Northern Gateway and the KinderMorgan TransMountain Expansion Project. In September 2011, the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) and

825-708: Is a professor of population ecology in the University of Alberta Department of Biological Sciences. He is scientific co-director of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute and an Alberta Biodiversity Conservation Chair. This article about a Canadian scientist is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers ( CAPP ), with its head office in Calgary, Alberta ,

880-580: Is a lobby group that represents the upstream Canadian oil and natural gas industry. CAPP's members produce "90% of Canada's natural gas and crude oil" and "are an important part of a national industry with revenues of about $ 100 billion-a-year (CAPP 2011)." CAPP origins can be traced back to the Alberta Oil Operators’ Association, which was founded in 1927, after the discovery of the Turner Valley Oil Field. In 1947,

935-421: Is comprised of site visits, aerial photography, and satellite imagery. This results in a comprehensive snapshot of the entire province every five years. The next time around when a site gets re-examined, it is done within a week's window to reduce any seasonal variability. Researchers from ABMI and the University of Alberta using the oil sands industry of Alberta as case study in their paper in which they challenged

990-413: Is employed. Questions were raised about the legality of private interests influencing government. Complaints were filed and dismissed. Prior to the 2019 Canadian federal election CAPP registered as a political third party, which The Calgary Herald said was "breaking with tradition" "for the first time" to increase its advocacy efforts on behalf of the oil industry. As oil prices rose, the profits of

1045-475: Is still time to do proper land use planning, identify conservation areas for biodiversity and ensure good planning going forward." Dyer explains that the projected quadrupling of oil sands production "without a proper plan in place to mitigate those impacts" is what concerns oil sands critics, not the current impacts. According to the Pembina Institute blog, "The ABMI is identified as a key component of

1100-500: Is to compensate for the loss of biodiversity at one location with conservation gains elsewhere. Typical forms of biodiversity offsets include land protection, restoration, or enhancement, and they are typically applied to achieve no net loss of a particular biodiversity feature. According to the 2014 ABMI report all six herds of caribou including the threatened boreal and the endangered mountain caribou "have suffered annual rates of decline ranging from 4.6% to 15.2% from 1993 to 2012" in

1155-829: The Canada West Foundation established the Canada-Asia Energy Futures Task Force with Kathleen (Kathy) E. Sendall, C.M., FCAE, a former Governor and Board Chair of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and Kevin G. Lynch , a Canadian economist and former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, Canada's most senior civil servant as co-chairs, to investigate a long-term Canada-Asia energy relationship. One of their recommendations

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1210-541: The Kyoto Protocol , from which Stephen Harper withdrew Canada in December 2011. CAPP's lobbying efforts included favouring "made in Canada" approach and advocating for a carbon pricing program. In 2007 a carbon tax was implemented in Alberta, Canada's major oil and gas producing province. Supported by CAPP and in the industry, the $ 15/tonne carbon tax feeds a GHG emissions reduction technology fund. By 2008,

1265-636: The Royal Alberta Museum which "manages specimen identification and storage." The Pembina Institute is a member of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) – "one of the primary existing programs that the implementation plan endorsed for expansion and more funding." Pembina Institute's Simon Dyer who is also on the board of the ABMI argued that, "There is nothing like [the ABMI] anywhere else in

1320-490: The 1990s it was recognized that Alberta needed a comprehensive provincial biodiversity monitoring program but at that time the province did not have the capacity to conduct such a program. Phase 1 (1998-2002) of what was then called Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program (ABMP) was funded by $ 1 M cash from Alberta forest industries, oil and gas industries, the provincial government, and non-government organizations. A team of more that 20 scientists identified protocols to survey

1375-510: The ABMP will be used to delineate potential causal relationships between development events and changes in biodiversity. Above all, the ABMP is designed to be scientifically credible, transparent, and to satisfy the needs of government, industry, and the public. This program will provide early warning of biodiversity change, and reduce the cost of sustaining biodiversity by reducing the need for expensive species recovery programs. Between 1998 and 2003

1430-694: The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program published A Manual for Estimating Biodiversity Intactness for the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Program: Description and Working Example. With funding from ABMI, a team of researchers from Alberta Research Council and the University of Alberta used winter mammal tracking sites in the boreal forest of Alberta to measure biodiversity intactness to be used as baselines in monitoring biodiversity. The "southern boreal forest had

1485-813: The Alberta Petroleum Association changed its name to the Western Canadian Petroleum Association, and In 1952, the Western Canada Petroleum Association amalgamated with the Saskatchewan Operators’ Association and adopted the name Canadian Petroleum Association. At a meeting on December 9, 1952, the CPA drafted a new constitution which outlined the objectives of the organization as follows: On June 10, 1958

1540-479: The Alberta oil industry in 2019 experienced a $ 909 million profit compared to the $ 678 million loss in Q4 in 2018, according to Statistics Canada . By Q1 2019, operating profits of the oil industry increased by $ 1.6 billion. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney had said during his election campaign that he would request that the energy industry "significantly increase its advocacy efforts." The Canadian Petroleum Industry faces

1595-509: The CPA opened an office in Ottawa and became "one (of) the oldest, largest and most influential lobby groups in Canada." It provided the federal government with information pertaining to the oil industry while keeping the CPA informed about political trends, government regulations and statistics. By 1965 the CPA had a membership of more than 200 members representing roughly 97 percent of all oil and gas production in Canada. In 1981, two years after

1650-687: The Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas (CSUG) CSUG (a.k.a. CSUR) participants included Vice President Kevin Heffernan. June 8, 2011, e-mail to senior government officials from the Energy Resources Conservation Board, the arm’s length regulator of the oil and gas industry in Alberta, to several meetings to produce a collaborative communications campaign on fracking strategy. On 9 June 2011 the Alberta government approved collaborative communications campaign in

1705-728: The Canadian-based company TransCanada to build the Keystone XL , that would extend and expand capacity of existing pipelines, that transport crude oil from the Athabasca oil sands in northern Alberta to tidewater and to refineries in the Persian Gulf, capable of refining the heavy bitumen crude oil. Nine winners of the Nobel Peace Prize , including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama , were signatories to

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1760-507: The Joint Canada-Alberta Monitoring Plan and has many strong elements – scientific leadership, publicly accessible information, and value-neutral result presentation. However, the ABMI still has not secured full funding, so the ABMI's ability to deliver sound monitoring data is limited by the availability of resources to support its work." In February 2012 Canada's Environment Minister, Peter Kent announced

1815-566: The Kyoto Protocol in 2001. In the summer of 2011 CAPP contacted ENV to requested a meeting with the Canadian Society for Unconventional Gas (CSUG), and officials from several government ministries, including Alberta Environment , Energy, Sustainable Resource Development (SRD), as well as the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), (now Alberta Energy Regulator ) to discuss CAPP’s desire to strike

1870-514: The Lower Athabasca, Environment Canada , Government of Alberta , Hammerstone Corporation , Husky Energy , Imperial Oil , Ivanhoe Energy Inc. , Japan Canada Oilsands Ltd. , Laricina Energy Ltd. , MEG Energy , NEXEN Inc. , Oilsands Developers Group, Royal Albert Museum , Shell Canada , Southern Pacific Research Corp., Statoil , Suncor Energy , Sunshine Oilsands Ltd , Syncrude , Teck Resources Ltd. , Total E & P Canada Ltd. ,

1925-935: The United States, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Washington D.C., New York and Chicago, with CAPP representatives, oil sands CEOs and 160 key stakeholders, culminated in a report entitled Dialogues published on 14 April 2011. CAPP advocates for the use of the controversial technology hydraulic fracturing . In 2010 released a series of voluntary Guiding Principles for Hydraulic Fracturing for Canadian natural gas producers to adhere to. The Guiding Principles of Hydraulic Fracturing were followed in 2011 by an agreed set of Six Hydraulic Fracturing Practices for: 1. Fracturing fluid additive disclosure 2. Fracturing fluid additive risk management 3. Baseline groundwater testing 4. Wellbore construction 5. Water sourcing and reuse 6. Fluid handling, transport, disposal. The Council of Canadians and Sierra Club Canada take

1980-694: The University of Alberta and the University of Calgary . Collaborating agencies include the government-industry research agency Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures (AITF), the University of Alberta , home to the ABMI Executive Office, Science Centre, and Information Centre, Alberta Research Council , home to the ABMI Monitoring Centre. the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) which "manages fisheries and aquatic sampling in lakes and rivers" and

2035-540: The Water Policy Branch, now the Exec. Dir. of OH&S Policy and Program with Human Services Ross Nairne. From Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) participants included Assistant Deputy Minister Glen Selland, Executive Director, Land Management Branch Jeff Reynolds, Officials from CAPP included VP Operations David Pryce, Manager of BC Operations Brad Herald, Manager of Water and Reclamation Tara Payment. From

2090-502: The cumulative approach and ecosystem management principles. The basic survey design consists of 1656 sites, 20 km apart, evenly spaced on a grid pattern across Alberta. Sites will be sampled over a five-year period at a rate of 350 sites/year. Standardized sampling protocols will be used to cover a broad range of species and habitat elements within terrestrial and aquatic environments, as well as broader landscape-level features. According to Cathy Olesen MP, The biodiversity and, therefore,

2145-433: The development of a prototype "designed to test the protocols, develop systems and generate product streams to the satisfaction of the sponsors and potential future clients." Funding for 2003 was $ 675,000. By 2006 the team had completed the background scientific development and moved into the prototype project, a small scale program. The ABMI began working in 2003 and at that time one of the ABMI projects involved working with

2200-442: The economic prudence of the costly equivalency-based biodiversity offset systems by using ABMI's "empirically derived index of biodiversity intactness to link offsets with losses incurred by development." Biodiversity offsets are designed to compensate for residual environmental damage caused by development after avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of environmental impacts have been considered and implemented. The goal of offsets

2255-654: The first commercial discovery at Hibernia off the coast of Newfoundland , the CPA opened an office in St. John’s in cooperation with the Eastcoast Petroleum Operators’ Association. In 1992, when the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) was formed, with the CPA amalgamation with the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada (IPAC) to form the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), Gerry Protti

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2310-431: The health of over 2,000 species is assessed by the changes in habitats and human land use through a cumulative effects approach. Cumulative effects monitoring attempts to uncover the link between environmental stressors and the many indicators that are monitored. The methodology employed is such that the province is divided into 1,656 evenly spaced monitoring areas. Each year approximately 330 sites are assessed. An assessment

2365-721: The industry, and to implement policies to support the industry directly. Specifically, this meant that the Industry requests, among other things, to defer the reporting of its greenhouse gas emission , to defer the implementation of the new Methane regulation and carbon pricing, and to delay the introduction of legislation that would entrench the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Canadian law. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde wrote

2420-629: The launch of the Joint Canada-Alberta Monitoring Plan or Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring , with aspirations of becoming a transparent, accountable world class oil sands environmental monitoring system. The Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) is the key component of the Joint Canada-Alberta Monitoring Plan. The ABMI and the Alberta Forest Management Planning Standard are based on

2475-585: The lowest intactness and the greatest human footprint." They published their findings in an article in Biological Conservation . However, from 2007 to 1 April 2013, the ABMI's financing and administration was not self-managed but was dependent on the University of Alberta's systems. In 2012 the Province of Alberta passed legislation to enable the ABMI to generate and collect funds to finance their program. "New legislation to formally establish

2530-457: The minutes of their joint meeting. stating that (Government of Alberta) agrees communication is a priority including a joint industry/GOA committee to develop similar language and terminology for discussion of shale gas issues and operations... The objective is to improve public understanding of shale gas operations and improve public knowledge and confidence. Preparation of a common background information document may be of value (when) targeted at

2585-446: The oil sands could increase its emissions and the percentage. A 2008 CAPP report argued that both the Alberta and Federal governments adopted "comparable industry GHG emissions targets in which large emitters must reduce their emissions by either improving their operation, purchasing emissions credits or investing in technology funds." Canada was the first signatory nation to walk away from the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. The U.S. abandoned

2640-468: The oil sands industry contributes (approximately 3%–4%) of Canada’s GHG emissions (approximately 3%–4%. By 2012, oil sands contributed 0.14% of global GHG emissions. Transportation and electricity were the largest contributors of GHG, with transportation contributing 190 Mt of CO 2 equivalent per year (MtCO 2 eq yr ) and electricity and heat generation: 125 MtCO 2 eq yr . However, by 2007 (Environment Canada 2007) cautioned that unrestricted development of

2695-817: The oil sands region (OSR) as oil and gas production booms in northern Alberta. As these herds in the oil-sands region are "genetically distinct" from other boreal caribou populations, the ABMI report concludes that, "It is therefore unlikely that populations in the (region) will gain new members from caribou populations in other parts of the province." In an article in The Wall Street Journal , Dawson observed that, "The report comes amid controversy over Alberta's recent sales of oil and gas development leases in areas populated by both boreal and mountain caribou." Stan Boutin Stanley A. Boutin FRSC (born 1955)

2750-757: The private sector increased payments $ 4,190,445 from $ 2,896,000 in 2012. In 2012 the Government of Alberta gave $ 5,205,000 and increased that to $ 5,305,000 in 2013 when the Government of Canada decreased their funding to $ 0. A 2014 ABMI report commissioned by the Canadian Oilsands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), one of ABMI's stakeholders, showed a decline of 20 per cent among bird species in northern Alberta. The report covered all three oil sands areas, Peace River, Fort McMurray and Cold Lake. ABMI board member and Pembina Institute Director, Simon Dyer, described how "what gets measured, gets managed." While "longtime agriculture on private land has

2805-477: The provincial monitoring entity was expected in the fall of 2013." By February 2012 although the ABMI was "identified as a key component of the Joint Canada-Alberta Monitoring Plan and has many strong elements – scientific leadership, publicly accessible information, and value-neutral result presentation" the Institute had not secured full funding which limited "its ability to deliver sound monitoring data." By 2013

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2860-847: The research community." The Pembina Institute and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers CAPP are represented on the ABMI board. According to the ABMI 2012-2013 Annual Report, partners and sponsors include industry, universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations: Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions, Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, Alberta Land Institute, Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd, Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc, Athabasca Oil Corporation , Canadian Natural Resources Limited , Cenovus Energy , Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation, Connacher Oil and Gas Corporation , ConocoPhillips Canada , Devon Operating Corporation (now operating as Brion Energy Corporation), Ecological Monitoring Committee for

2915-409: The world, in terms of its comprehensiveness, the number of species it looks at and its ability to monitor changes in biodiversity over large landscapes over long time periods. What the ABMI provides, for the first time, is a meaningful metric of environmental impact or biodiversity performance that governments could use to inform decision making." According to Dyer, in pristine northeastern Alberta "there

2970-783: Was named as founding president. According to the Federal lobbyist registry, from January to September 2012, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers had 178 contacts with federal officials to discuss issues such as pipelines, making it the lobby group with the most contacts that year. They lobbied on greenhouse gas regulations related to the Clean Air Act, Fisheries Act, pipeline regulation and tax credits. Canada's estimated total oil reserves including conventional oil were approximately 180 billion barrels (29 km ), behind only Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Canada produces approximately 2.7 million barrels (430,000 m ) of crude oil

3025-475: Was the creation of a public energy transportation corridor. Canadian opponents to the Northern Gateway [1] , intended to permit shipping of high-carbon Canadian crude over ecologically sensitive rivers and waters to carbon-uncontrolled countries including India and China, include 61 First Nations in British Columbia . CAPP supports and advocates for the $ 7-billion pipeline expansion project by

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