Assessing Wetland Reclamation in the Alberta Oil Sands Region

The project developed an approach to assessing functionality (i.e. ecological processes, including maintenance of biodiversity) of reconstructed and opportunistic wetlands in the Athabasca Oil Sands region relative to naturally-formed wetlands.

The Athabasca Oil Sands (AOS) region is dominated by wetlands and peatlands. Reclamation following oil sands mine closure requires new knowledge and techniques to develop operational best practices to restore landscapes to achieve equivalent land capability. Over three field seasons, the project used new technology and a novel statistical approach to assess the wetland dynamics and quantify environmental stresses that affect biota in 120 wetlands of varying ages, sizes and origins. The research was designed to validate the novel Reclamation Assessment Approach, which identifies age-specific environmental thresholds (‘triggers’) at which biota (bioindicator scores) are altered by each class of stress in young wetlands.