Ecological Integrity Monitoring

Keeping an eye on the health of our national parks is known as Ecological Integrity Monitoring. Imagine flying in a helicopter to count animals, pouring over data gathered by satellites in space, or listening to frog calls at dusk! Ecological Integrity Monitoring is all that and more.

Elk Island National Park is an island of wilderness surrounded by industry, agriculture, and settlement. Growing animal populations, human activity, invasive species, and other challenges put pressure on the park. Ecological integrity monitoring is essential to understanding the effect these pressures have on the health of forest, grassland and freshwater ecosystems within Elk Island National Park.

Ecological integrity monitoring ensures that all components of park ecosystems are intact and functioning normally. Data gathered by park staff are used to determine the overall health of the park and if human intervention is required to manage and restore damaged systems.