Wetland Valuation System Results

Eastern OntarioWetland Valuation SystemA First Approximation: 

Eastern Ontario Wetland Valuation System A First Approximation Produced by Chris Burns (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources) and Phil Wilson (Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society) for the Eastern Ontario Natural Heritage Working Group June 2003.

Note: 

Note This presentation focuses on the results of the Wetland Valuation System GIS model. An additional document called the Eastern Ontario Wetland Valuation System: A First Approximation is available separately in Portable Document Format (PDF) which focuses on the project methodology.

Project Goals: 

Project Goals To provide local decision-makers with the best available natural heritage information for municipal planning. To provide an information foundation for conservation priorities within the region.

Project Objectives: 

Project Objectives To prepare maps showing the OMNR-evaluated Provincially Significant Wetlands. To develop ecological criteria to determine the value of all known wetlands in eastern Ontario. To use the ecological criteria, the best available data, and GIS to model the value of all known wetlands in eastern Ontario.

Study Area: 

Study Area Eastern Ontario including the counties of Leeds and Grenville, Lanark, Ottawa-Carleton, Prescott-Russell, and Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry. This area is a management unit of the OMNR called the Kemptville District. 1.7 million hectares.

Wetland GIS Databases: 

Wetland GIS Databases 1. Evaluated Wetlands Field-based mapping by trained OMNR staff using the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System. Point scoring system that categorizes each evaluated wetland as either Provincially Significant or Locally Significant. Includes high geographic detail with each wetland being made up of contiguous parts (e.g. Mer Bleue Bog is made up of 78 parts). These contiguous parts were dissolved to create a new GIS layer containing 1550 Provincially Significant and 538 Locally Significant wetland polygons in the study area (see next slide for a sample).

Wetland GIS Databases (continued): 

Wetland GIS Databases (continued) 2. Ontario Base Map (OBM) Wetlands Mapped at 1: 10000 scale by air photo interpretation. The OBM water polygon GIS layer contains both “Wetland Area, Permanent” features and “Water Area, Permanent” features. All the “Wetland Area, Permanent” features were extracted from the OBM water polygon GIS layer for use in this project. 18017 polygons.

Valuated Wetlands: 

Valuated Wetlands Compiled from a union overlay (which merges features from two layers) using the evaluated wetlands GIS layer and the OBM wetlands GIS layer (see next slide for a sample). This valuated wetlands GIS layer is considered to be the best representation of known wetlands in the study area. 16354 wetland polygons (each assigned a unique numeric ID).

Multi-Criteria GIS Modelling: 

Multi-Criteria GIS Modelling Each of the 16534 valuated wetlands was assigned a final model value. This value refers to the relative importance of the wetland based on nine ecological criteria. The nine ecological criteria were modelled using the best available data and stored as individual GIS layers with scores between 0 and 3 or, for certain criteria, 1 and 3. The final model value was calculated by summing the scores of the nine criteria. Because of the way the criteria were scored, each wetland could theoretically receive a final model value between 3 and 26.

Slide16: 

Headwater Wetland Map Calculator Addition Overlay Wetland Valuation System GIS Model Wetland Hydrological Linkage Wetland Habitat Linkage Wetland Disturbance Adjacent Vegetation Wetland Edge Wetland Interior Wetland Size Wetland Flood Attenuation Wetland Valuation System: Multi-Criteria GIS Modelling

Criteria: Wetland Size: 

Criteria: Wetland Size

Criteria: Wetland Interior: 

Criteria: Wetland Interior

Criteria: Wetland Edge: 

Criteria: Wetland Edge

Criteria: Adjacent Vegetation: 

Criteria: Adjacent Vegetation

Criteria: Wetland Disturbance: 

Criteria: Wetland Disturbance

Criteria: Wetland Habitat Linkage: 

Criteria: Wetland Habitat Linkage

Criteria: Wetland Hydrological Linkage: 

Criteria: Wetland Hydrological Linkage

Criteria: Headwater Wetland: 

Criteria: Headwater Wetland

Criteria: Wetland Flood Attenuation: 

Criteria: Wetland Flood Attenuation

Wetland Valuation System GIS Model: 

Wetland Valuation System GIS Model Final model value minimum = 4. Final model value maximum = 22. Final model value mean = 12. Final model value standard deviation = 3. Only 17 wetlands received a score of at least 1 for every criterion. See next slide for histogram.

Discussion: 

Discussion The wetland valuation system could serve as a tool to identify potential Provincially Significant Wetlands. No accuracy assessment was conducted to determine the quality of the model. Directed field work could be used to check the results. Many more wetlands have yet to be identified in the study area. Further work could focus on improving the mapping of wetlands.

Slide40: 

Acknowledgements This initiative was made possible through the support and guidance of the Eastern Ontario Natural Heritage Working Group individuals and partners: Individuals   Nick Stow Algonquin to Adirondacks Conservation Association Jean Langlois Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Phil Wilson Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Mark Rowsell Eastern Ontario Model Forest Gary Nielsen Leeds Stewardship Council Chris Burns Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Jeff Leggo St. Lawrence Islands National Park Greg Saunders St. Lawrence Islands National Park Bill Stevenson St. Lawrence Islands National Park Don Ross The Watershed Nature and History Network Norm Ruttan The Watershed Nature and History Network Partners   Algonquin to Adirondacks Conservation Association Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Ducks Unlimited Eastern Ontario Model Forest Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources University of Ottawa St. Lawrence Islands National Park The Watershed Nature and History Network Thanks to the following people for their assistance with the GIS component of this project:   Allen Bibby Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources David Broscoe Algonquin College Caroline Duchesne Natural Resources Canada David Howlett Rivfo.com Jeff Jenness Jenness Enterprises Dan Patterson Carleton University Mark Rowsell Eastern Ontario Model Forest Greg Saunders St. Lawrence Islands National Park Michael Sawada University of Ottawa Dale Scale Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Paul Staples Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources