Biodiversity on Agricultural Lands in Nova Scotia
Biodiversity is a term used to describe the variety of life found on earth, and captures everything from diversity of genes, to species, to ecosystems. Biodiversity is fundamental in agriculture, as healthier and more diverse ecosystems are considered to be more productive, provide essential ecosystems services such as pollination, and have a greater ability to adapt to pressures related to climate change and other environmental-related challenges.
Farmlands in Nova Scotia play an import role in supporting biodiversity by providing a wide range of ecosystems and habitat types, including habitat for species-at-risk. Focusing on habitats that support species-at-risk, this tool is designed to help producers understand how their practices may already be benefitting species, and identify opportunities that can be considered to maintain or improve habitats on their farm.
Acknowledgements
A committee of dedicated professionals contributed to the development of the Nova Scotia HBAT through reviews and discussion. Many thanks to the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, and the Nova Scotia Community College- Centre of Geographic Sciences. This Canadian Forage and Grassland Association project has been funded by the Canada Nature Fund through Environment and Climate Change Canada.
With much appreciation, we acknowledge that data that underpins the habitat and biodiversity assessment tool have been generously provided in the spirit of collaborative conservation science by:
- Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Center, 2020.
- Birds Canada (2020). Maritime SwiftWatch.
- Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)
- eBird. 2020. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance; https://www.ebird.org/home.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada. Critical Habitat for Aquatic Species at Risk National Dataset. Available from https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/db177a8c-5d7d-49eb-8290-31e6a45d786c
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Available from from https://www.gbif.org/. Accessed September 1- November 20, 2020
- iNatluralist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed September 1-November 20, 2020.
- Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of presence of Atlantic Salmon in Area Response Planning pilot areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/436cdf90-9d6b-4784-938b-feec48844a67
- Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (2020). Nova Scotia Turtle Database.
- Staicer, C. (2020). Habitat modelling for landbird species at risk in Nova Scotia.
Biodiversity is a term used to describe the variety of life found on earth, and captures everything from diversity of genes, to species, to ecosystems. Biodiversity is fundamental in agriculture, as healthier and more diverse ecosystems are considered to be more productive, provide essential ecosystems services such as pollination, and have a greater ability to adapt to pressures related to climate change and other environmental-related challenges.
Farmlands in Nova Scotia play an import role in supporting biodiversity by providing a wide range of ecosystems and habitat types, including habitat for species-at-risk. Focusing on habitats that support species-at-risk, this tool is designed to help producers understand how their practices may already be benefitting species, and identify opportunities that can be considered to maintain or improve habitats on their farm.