An ecosystem management program and assessment process for Ontario national parks

An ecosystem management program and assessment process was developed to sta ndardize an ecosystem-based approach to protecting the ecological integrity of Ontario's national parks. The elements of the ecosystem management prog ram collectively represent the dominant planning and technical aspects of e cosystem management. Within the program, 11 specific products-ecosystem con servation plan, greater park ecosystem inventory and analysis, greater park ecosystem scope, area of cooperation, stakeholder analysis, partnership gr oup management guidelines, scientific research program, ecological indicato rs, ecological integrity monitoring program, information network, and commu nication strategy-are considered requisite tools to improve the scientific understanding required for park management within the context of greater pa rk ecosystems and to increase communication and coordination among governme nts and citizens to improve decision making. The formal process uses evalua tion criteria associated with the 11 products to assess progress in develop ing an ecosystem management program and the content of the related products . The assessment process, which provides comprehensive identification of a park's specific ecosystem management needs, has been applied to all nationa l parks in Ontario in the past year, which has had the immediate effect of refining their ecosystem management programs.