Regional Planning
Developing a Vision of Land Use
Understanding the balance between socio-economic, cultural and environmental tradeoffs in land use management is important for making informed land use decisions. With our scientific data driven analyses, we assist our clients in developing a vision for the sustainable use of the landscape.
Land Use Vision
Incorporating the goals and visions of the client into environmental planning. Facilitating meetings and workshops with our clients to build a foundation for research and communication, strategically translating the visions into planning documents
Understanding Cumulative Effects
Map and analyze current and future constraints on the landscape
Prioritize Important Areas
Identify areas for the protection of ecosystem processes and the communities that depend on those processes
Featured Projects
Aquatic and terrestrial resources report for the Wolastoqey Strategic Rights Plan (NB, Canada), Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick (2018)
We evaluated the quality and quantity of aquatic and terrestrial resources, using available literature and geospatial data, for the province of New Brunswick from 1980 to 2018 with a special geographic focus on the Wәlasatәkw/Wolastoq Watershed (also referred to as the St. John River Basin).
Review of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (AB, Canada), (2011)
MSES completed a technical review and assessment of the Draft Lower Athabasca Integrated Regional Plan (LARP) on behalf of the Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations evaluating how the LARP considered ecological resources that are important to each First Nation and how First Nation recommendations were or were not addressed in the draft plan.
Research & poster on regional planning for maintaining wildlife movement (2010)
MSES evaluated the current impact assessment process on its ability to plan for wildlife movement on a regional basis. A poster presentation titled “Maintaining Wildlife Movement: The Need for Regional Planning” was presented at the International Association for Impact Assessment conference in Geneva, Switzerland. See the poster here.
Disturbance analysis and land use planning report (AB, Canada), Swan River First Nation (2013-2014)
MSES completed a time-series disturbance analysis, using Landsat and SPOT satellite images, on a portion of the Swan River First Nation traditional lands to assist the First Nation in understanding the regional environmental planning and protection requirements for key traditional resource areas.
Peace Region Electric Supply Community Impact Assessment (BC, Canada), McLeod Lake Indian Band (2014-2017)
Using Indigenous Knowledge and a western scientific satellite analysis of landscape change, in collaboration with McLeod Lake Indian Band, MSES developed a Community Impact Assessment (CIA) of BC Hydro’s Peace Region Electric Supply (PRES) Project. We analyzed the impact of different routes so the MLIB could determine which would have the least impact on its traditional land and resources.
Prioritization study for remediation of Arctic grayling habitat in the Swan River Watershed (AB, Canada), Swan River First Nation (2017-2018)
Arctic grayling in the Swan River watershed face significant habitat degradation in the form of blocked migration routes and altered streamflow from numerous improperly installed culverts in resource and paved roads. MSES conducted a quantitative analysis to prioritize stream crossings for remediation measures to improve grayling habitat condition and connectivity, and water quality in general.
Participation in the Oil Sands Monitoring Committee (Ongoing)
“The authors use different resolution imagery to quantify the rate of disturbance in the boreal forests of Alberta. While the analyses are limited to Alberta, their findings (in particular, that fine resolution imagery reveals much faster rates of disturbance) have implications for tracking forest loss globally” –Reviewer 2, Peer-review comments from Global Change Biology, Research
