Why Biodiversity Matters

Ecosystem services are the benefits provided by natural systems that contribute to our well-being and health.

Without biodiversity, we don't have ecosystems—communities of living things (such as plants and animals) and their interactions with their environments. Healthy ecosystems are critical to our health and well-being. The benefits they provide, also known as ecosystem services, are often taken for granted and include important services such as clean drinking water; protection from floods; and the raw materials for food, shelter, clothing, and medicine.

Alberta’s biodiversity is all around us and plays an enormous role in supporting our way of life.

The following are some examples of ecosystem services that we value.

 


 

Soil Nutrient Cycling

Productive, fertile soils are essential for the success of Alberta’s farmers and ranchers. All life above ground, including planted crops, depends on the activity of below-ground biodiversity—such as bacteria, fungi, mites, worms, and ants­—to break down organic matter and cycle nutrients back into the soil.

Forage Production

Ranchers in Alberta have been grazing their cattle on native grassland for over a century. The forage provided by native grassland is a critically important food source relied upon by ranchers to feed their livestock during the growing season. 

Pollination

Wild pollinators like bumblebees are incredibly efficient and effective at pollinating native plants and commercial crops. Wild pollinators nesting in natural areas within agricultural landscapes can promote the yield of nearby crops like canola and alfalfa. And while domesticated honeybees are used for many commercial agricultural practices, they are not effective pollinators for some plants, such as blueberries.

Timber Supply

Trees from Alberta’s forest ecosystems generate timber that not only supplies our sawmills and pulp mills but also acts as an important storehouse of carbon, which helps to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Water Purification

Riparian and wetland habitats act as natural water filters by removing pollutants and sediments from water. Maintaining healthy aquatic habitat in our environment is one of the most cost-effective way of providing a clean and reliable source of drinking water.

Recreation

Camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, bird watching, or berry picking—Albertans love to spend time in the great outdoors. Alberta’s natural areas provide any number of recreational opportunities, enhancing our quality of life.

Applying our Data
The Ecosystem Services
Assessment Project

The ABMI's Ecosystem Services Assessment project developed a system to map and assess ecosystem services across Alberta. This information will help us understand the supply and value of these services and how land use change might affect them.

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See more of our projects and collaborative work.

We provide the tools to ensure that biodiversity is sustainably managed now and for future generations. 

See all projects and collaborations
Post-Harvest Biodiversity Trajectories

This applied research project supports an effort to monitor biodiversity outcomes of the ecosystem-based management (EBM) and natural disturbance models of forestry.

 
The Peltigera Project

The Peltigera project aims to expand our understanding of Peltigera lichen diversity in Alberta through genetic markers. Building on the research done by global Peltigera experts, we hope to use genetic data to both verify our identifications and detect new species to the province.
Habitat Inventory for the Richardson Caribou Range

In collaboration with the Caribou Habitat Recovery Program (CHRP) through the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA), the ABMI is developing a detailed vegetation inventory along linear features for the Richardson caribou range in northeastern Alberta.