Compensation & Mitigation

(i) Building ecologically robust lakes for offsetting fisheries habitat and productivity

In the oil sands mining region of Canada, the management goal is often to design a compensation lake that is suitably productive to offset losses in CRA fisheries habitat. While this goal appears to be straight forward, compensation lakes are a relatively new concept and there is very little knowledge about how the initial state of the system (e.g., species present, abiotic factors, etc.) may influence the ability of industry to meet management objectives. Further, our understanding of the processes that govern both compensation and reference fish communities may differ dramatically in the northern boreal forest region. Thus, building an understanding of how these processes may differ, will aid in our ability to meet management targets. Ultimately, compensation lakes are the legacy of our activities on the landscape and ensuring that these legacies are lasting, robust, productive and resilient ecosystems will be a great service to future generations.