Oilsands wetland reclamation, Geography and Environmental Management prof comments

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

water institute members in the media
The Edmonton Journal and the Waterloo Region Record recently featured a story on the challenges of reclaiming open-pit mines that were once wetlands. The story includes comments by Water Institute member and Department of Geography and Environmental Management Professor Jonathan Price.

Price's research looks broadly at the hydrology of wetland systems, with particular focus on peatland and fenland systems, considering both management and restoration perspectives.

'We can't replace nature': Oilsands wetland reclamation a mixed success

By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press, Sept. 12, 2016

Faced with reclaiming open-pit mines that were once thriving wetlands, Suncor and Syncrude have been trying to do what’s never been done — rebuilding one of the most complex, diverse and delicate ecosystems in the boreal forest.

Three years into the ground-breaking, high-profile projects, early successes are emerging.

Suncor’s Nikanotee fen and Syncrude’s Sandhills fen are staying wet year-round. They’re growing some typical fen plants. Even better, they’ve begun to store carbon in their peaty depths.

“(That’s) one of the core functions of a fen ecosystem, so that’s really great,” said Joshua Martin, Suncor’s wetland reclamation director.

But the overall plant mix isn’t what it was. Soil and water chemistry has changed. Biodiversity has shrunk.

The fens don’t seem to be developing into what was there before and nobody really knows how they will evolve.

We can’t kid ourselves,” said Jonathan Price of the University of Waterloo, one of the main experts behind Nikanotee. “We can’t replace nature.

Fen recovery is so uncertain and expensive that one researcher suggests resources would be better used elsewhere. [...]

Read the full story by Bob Weber in the Edmonton Journal.