Special Places: Eco-lessons from the National Parks in Atlantic Canada

Grade 10

A Sustainability Case Study

Table of Contents:

• Summary
• Learning Outcomes
• Activity Information
• Teacher Background
• Procedure
• Evaluation
• Extension
• References
• Resources

Summary

Students will be asked to investigate issues that affect the sustainability of national park ecosystems and how the concept of sustainability has brought about a change in national park management.

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Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• identify the issues affecting the sustainability of an ecosystem;
• understand how the concept of sustainability has influenced our perception of how a national park should be managed;
• communicate and convey questions, ideas and intentions and receive, understand and respond to the ideas of others with respect to environmental management.

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Activity Information

Grade level: 10

Subject: Science 10 – Sustainability of Ecosystems

Curriculum linkages: 114-1; 212-4; 213-8; 215-1; 318-2; 318-5; 318-6; 331-6 (Students will be able to explore the concept of sustainability and how biodiversity of an ecosystem contributes to its sustainability.)

Duration: Approximately 60 minutes

Setting: Classroom

Materials: Flip charts, markers, Park Backgrounder on Gros Morne National Park, maps (p.25.1, p.26.1) illustrating caribou and Newfoundland marten populations in Gros Morne National Park Greater Ecosystem, diagrams “Biology of Small Populations” (p.22.1), “Habitat Loss and Fragmentation” (p.23.1) and a lesson activity sheet entitled “Vision – Gros Morne National Park” (p.24.1).

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Teacher Background

“Other generations believed that they had the luxury of preparing their children to live in a society similar to their own. Ours is the first generation to have achieved the Socratic wisdom of knowing that we do not know the world in which our children will live.”
—John Goodlad

John Goodlad shared those very powerful words with a generation of people who were interested in education, and in preparing young people to deal with their future. He meant for people to be aware of the changes we all face in society and to recognize that we can prepare our children only for the process of change, and not specifically for what that change may be.

Change is constant, even in national parks. By law, these parks are protected for public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment, while being maintained in an unimpaired state for future generations. However, there is growing realization that simply designating an area is not enough to protect it in that state. Parks must be established and managed in new ways if they are to protect Canada’s ecosystems in the long term.

A park’s management plan must ensure the protection of “ecological integrity,” the condition of an ecosystem where natural structures, like the canopy of a forest, and natural functions, like the return of nutrients to the soil during decomposition, are occurring unimpaired, and where native species are likely to remain in the area in healthy populations over the long term. Therein lies the challenge. The increasing and cumulative effects of stress from adjacent land use, external sources of air and water pollution, invasion by exotic species, visitor use and climate change can result in irreversible degradation of park ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity, and the impoverishment of gene pools.

Park management plans set out the direction that individual parks will take in order to reach ecological integrity goals. They contain statements of management objectives in sufficient detail to indicate how a park will protect and represent the natural and cultural aspects of its region. Maintaining the ecological integrity of Gros Morne is the first priority of park managers. Achieving that requires effective cooperation with governments, landowners, stakeholders and community leaders in the surrounding area of the park.

There has been a shift in public perception of how national parks should be managed. Science has long understood that it is important to consider the broader environment but, historically, the focus has been on protecting only that portion contained within the park boundaries. However, parks have come to realize that this internal protection is no longer a viable option. The wildlife in the park does not recognize boundary lines. Nor do airborne pollutants. In recognition of that reality, Parks Canada is involved in seeking mutually satisfactory solutions to trans-boundary concerns associated with the effects of adjacent land use on park ecosystems or the effects of park management practices on the use of adjacent lands.

This activity will see the students discussing the issues that have caused this paradigm shift. They will explore the problems that could be created by cutting the park off from its surroundings by means such as the construction of fences and migration barriers. They will explore the difficulties of trying to manage the park as a gated community. They will also explore the issues involved in successfully crossing boundaries and cooperating with others to attain their goals.

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Procedure

1. Introduce the concept of a “paradigm shift”. Discuss examples that may be applicable in your region.
2. Lead a discussion with the students about the importance of national parks in Canada and the priorities for Parks Canada (and specifically for Gros Morne) as the vehicle for protection of representative natural areas of Canadian significance. (NOTE: additional information is available on the Parks Canada Web site referenced at the end of this lesson). Discuss the role of the park as an ever-changing, evolving, integrated entity.
3. Discuss the notion that park boundaries exist but are only recognized by people. Consider how wildlife species move in and out of the park. Brainstorm and list with students the species (caribou, salmon, etc.) and/or influences (airborne pollutants, etc.) that also move in and out of the park. Part of this activity should look at visual representation of the area used by the caribou and the Newfoundland marten in Gros Morne National Park and the surrounding area (see lesson maps). Students will examine the impact of restricting their habitat to only the area within the park boundaries. The discussion should include information about what happens to isolated populations using the diagrams included in this lesson.
4. Distribute the lesson activity sheet entitled “Vision – Gros Morne National Park,” as well as copies of the Gros Morne Park Backgrounder. These articulate Gros Morne’s goal and vision for management. Divide the class into working groups. Each working group will be responsible for formulating three management objectives that will reflect the goal statement.
5. Also using the lesson activity sheet, the students should discuss how the new vision compares to the old vision which would have seen park management focused only on issues within its boundaries. Use the following reference points to discuss the effects and implications of the goal and vision statements on the region:

   Socio-economic Impacts

   • Employment (tourism, fishing, forestry, farming, trapping)
   • Transportation (travel through the park, as well as travel in the park)
   • Land use (aggregate [rock] mining, domestic harvesting)

   Wildlife and Fisheries Impacts

   • Migration, breeding grounds, nesting, habitat, corridors, spawning (e.g. salmon, black bear, woodland caribou)
   • Rare flora and fauna
   • Genetic flow

   Visitor Activities Impacts

   • Camping, picnicking, boat tours, sport fishing, swimming, skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, offroad vehicles.

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Evaluation

After the discussion, have the students prepare a brief written argument explaining why the existing management practice is most appropriate to maintaining ecological integrity and conversely, why the old paradigm would be detrimental to the continued existence of Gros Morne National Park, and the national parks in Canada.

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References

• Department of Canadian Heritage. National Parks System Plan (third edition), 1997.
• Parks Canada. Draft Gros Morne National Park Management Plan, 1998.
• Parks Canada Web site: www.pc.gc.ca

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Resources

• Park Backgrounder: Gros Morne National Park of Canada
• Diagram: Biology of Small Populations
• Diagram: Habitat Loss and Fragmentation
• Vision: Gros Morne National Park
• Map: Caribou Population Distribution in Gros Morne National Park Greater Ecosystem
• Map: Newfoundland Marten Locations in Gros Morne National Park Greater Ecosystem