---
title: "Effects of industrial sectors on species abundance in Alberta"
layout: default
published: true
category: Etc
tags: [monitoring, ABMI, footprint, species, biodiversity, sector effects]
disqus: petersolymos
promote: false
---

Transformation of native habitat by human activity is
the main cause of global biodiversity loss. Humans have
visibly transformed [27% of Alberta to date](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-q59n6LIwYPc1lUQ1dTbW16RU0/view?usp=sharing).
The effects of these changes depend on the species, and
the nature and extent of the human activities in question.
Teasing apart these factors in a cumulative effects framework
are of the focus of several initiatives and organizations in Alberta.
The [Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI)](http://www.abmi.ca)
collects data and produces information that
helps attributing the effects of human activities on species
to different industrial sectors, or as we call them, sector effects.

<img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/images/2016/11/05/science-letters-sector.png" class="img-responsive" alt="Science Letter cover">

The latest issue of the [_ABMI Science Letters_](http://www.abmi.ca/home/newsletters/scienceletter-past-issues.html),
[Effects of Industrial Sectors on Species Abundance in Alberta](http://ftp.public.abmi.ca/home/publications/documents/437_SolymosandSchieck_20016_EffectofIndustrialSectorsonSpeciesAbundanceAB_ABMI.pdf),
presents sector effect estimates take into account not only the
amount of footprint, but also what habitat types the
sector's footprint impacts the most. These estimates
thus provide tools for exploring alternative management
options in land-use planning.

The document shows the example of the Boreal Chickadee from
northern Alberta to illustrate how various types of
industrial development influence a species. Forestry
had the largest effect on Chickadee relative abundance,
followed by energy and agriculture.
Information on other species are freely available at
[species.abmi.ca](http://species.abmi.ca), can help
managers understand how activities by each industrial
sector affect habitat suitability for many species.