| The impact of natural resource extraction, and subsequent transportation to market, is hypothesized to have consequences on the plant community structure of the western Canadian Arctic. The Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline project will create new transportation and disturbance corridors and it is expected that this will facilitate the movement of introduced species northward. As a part of the IPY-GAPS project, an assessment of plant community composition among different types of disturbance was conducted within the vicinity of four communities in the Northwest Territories (Fort Simpson, Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells, and Inuvik) from June -- August 2008. Results indicate that the prevalence of introduced species was significantly higher in close proximity to roads, urban centres, and existing pipelines. These disturbance types had greater richness and cover of introduced species than seismic lines. The highest proportion of introduced species was found in Fort Simpson, especially along transportation corridors. The percent cover and occurrence of introduced species were found to be significantly higher along transects within 1-5 m from these roads compared to 10-20 m away. A community consultation survey was also completed on the perceptions of community members held toward the idea of invasive alien species (IAS), their willingness to participate in monitoring programs for IAS, and what role they wanted the government to play in monitoring IAS. The results of the survey suggested that people were willing to report the presence of an IAS, but would not use a website to submit that information. Furthermore, the concept of using an incentive to gather support and increase participation in a monitoring program was seen as unnecessary due to the participants' inherent connection to the land. The results of these studies suggest that future expansion of disturbances, such as roads, pipelines, and enlarged urban areas may increase the prevalence and number of introduced species within northern communities and that managing these impacts will require the development of a community based action plan geared towards the social and cultural background of each affected community. |
