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Terrestrial Resources

Wildlife

Wildlife resources are coming under increasing cumulative land use pressures, and such regional processes as habitat loss and fragmentation are issues of increasing concern. Regulators, land use planners, resource managers and project proponents require focused, comprehensive information on wildlife to assist them in the development of responsible land use planning decisions.

Our biologists have extensive expertise in both species-specific life histories and habitat requirements, as well as the broader concepts of conservation biology and sustainability. In addition, they regularly employ a suite of state-of-the art modelling techniques for evaluating habitat suitability and effectiveness, habitat connectivity, and biodiversity.

Services

• Development and application of advanced wildlife models including wildlife habitat use and availability analyses, habitat effectiveness, connectivity, fragmentation, and core security
• Species and habitat based biodiversity assessments
• Desktop screening and field surveys for species at risk and their habitat
• Advanced modelling to predict the spread of disease in bison and cattle
• Habitat enhancement for private and public property planning and management
• Strategic advice on wildlife issues in prairie, arctic, boreal and montane regions of Western Canada, including species at risk
• Grizzly bear DNA-based population studies and mortality risk assessment
• Wildlife-related ecological risk assessments
• Bat research including remote echolocation detection and capture
• Mammalian research including radio-telemetry, home range analysis and behavioural studies of disturbance effects
• Wildlife habitat use and availability assessment and mapping
• Avian breeding, productivity and habitat use studies
• Amphibian and reptile habitat use, population and breeding surveys
• Cumulative effects assessment integrated development plans among multiple interests to reduce cumulative pressures on wildlife
• Professional-level training courses in field inventory techniques

Vegetation

In many Natural Regions, a high percentage of native vegetation communities has been disturbed or converted to other end uses. Consequently, the maintenance of sustainable, representative communities and associated biodiversity is becoming a regional planning issue of increasing concern for regulators and resource managers. The development of rehabilitation plans for disturbed sites to restore native communities, reduce soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat is also an integral part of land use planning.

Our botanists have extensive experience in native vegetation community classification and mapping, impact assessment, rare plant identification, weed management and revegetation planning. They are leaders in assessment methodologies for rare plants, and have developed practical mitigation strategies for minimizing project impacts to sensitive native vegetation communities. They have also worked closely with First Nations communities to identify vegetation resources of traditional value, and to integrate traditional land use knowledge with western science.

Services

• Ecological land classification (vegetation mapping)
• Assessment of impacts from surface disturbance, fires, air emissions, altered groundwater and surface water flows, etc.
• Species and community-based biodiversity assessments
• Desktop screening and field surveys for species at risk and their habitat
• Rare plant surveys
• Weed surveys
• Mitigation for rare plants, rare plant communities and plants traditionally used by First Nations communities
• Vegetation monitoring
• Reclamation planning
• Cumulative effects assessment

Soils and Terrain

AXYS has a staff of soils scientists who offer an effective combination of expertise and specializations. The scientific background and the practical field knowledge of our staff has continually provided our clients with scientifically sound, defensible products.

Services

• Erosion risk modelling
• Forest soil capability classification
• Reclamation suitability classification
• Agricultural sustainability
• Ecological land classification
• Environmental impact assessments
• Pre-development biophysical surveys