Home Objectives of the Trust Some of our Programs Conservation Research Forest Conservation Private Stewardship Fund Raising Merchandise Adopt an Eagle Protected Properties Membership Contact Us Links	Conservation Research Research into the natural areas and wildlife of Prince Edward Island is an important part of our conservation work. Our province is a heavily disturbed and altered landscape and - as such - it can be easy to think that we know all there is to know about its environment. Recent research by Island Nature Trust and other individuals and organizations has uncovered amphibians, birds, plants, dragonflies and leafhoppers previously thought to be absent from PEI! In addition to locating new provincial species and new site records for rare or uncommon species, our ongoing conservation research helps us understand more about topics such as ecological succession on PEI, what habitats should be priorities for conservation and land acquisition, and the role of protected areas in the Island landscape. All this ties in with our other work such as Forest Conservation and Private Stewardship, and helps us identify the most important lands to add to our Property Inventory. Here are a few of our research projects: Greenwich, Prince Edward Island National Park. When Parks Canada acquired 1,000 acres of internationally important sand dune, wetland, forest and old field on the Greenwich peninsula, there were some significant gaps in the scientific knowledge of the site’s plants and animals. In 1998 and 1999, the Trust completed the most detailed systematic floral inventory ever conducted on PEI, as well as preliminary small mammal inventories and historical air photo interpretation work. We continued research at Greenwich in 2000 with a project to explore why the four ponds at Greenwich are botanically distinct. Species-at-risk Lists. The Government of PEI recently passed the Wildlife Conservation Act which - for the first time ever on PEI - includes provisions for the protection of species-at-risk. From 1998 - 2000, Island Nature Trust searched the literature, consulted experts, and began some preliminary field work resulting in at-risk lists for our plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Amendments and updates to these lists will be made as new information is uncovered in field work or literature records. This work is being done in cooperation with the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre Unfortunately, to date (November 2008) no species are "listed" in PEI, making species at risk less well protected than they could be. Rare Plant Database. A spin-off of our Forest Conservation Program, the rare plant database tracks the least common Island plants. To date, this program has found dozens of new site locations for rare species in all habitats, and has found 11 new floral records. This information is used to form a more accurate picture of the ranges and habitat requirements of these vulnerable plants, which can assist with species conservation. Additionally, improved knowledge of the locations of these species can assist with project planning and environmental impact assessments. We have begun to link this database to our Geographical Information System (GIS). Mapping of Significant Environmental Areas:  We have used the combined results of a number of research projects to identify and map areas that qualify for protection on PEI. These may be natural areas with minimal evidence of disturbance or areas with rare or uncommon plants, animals or habitats. Using a Geographical Information System (GIS), these areas are mapped the systems plan for the provincial natural areas network is being updated with lots of help form the province. When complete, this will graphically illustrate a vision for a natural areas network, and be a first step towards planning core protected areas connected by corridors.
ISLAND NATURE TRUST P.O. Box 265 Charlottetown PE C1A 7K4 Phone: (902) 566-9150 | Fax: (902) 628-6331 email: intrust@eastlink.ca