• Source: Boreal Plains Ecozone (CEC)

The Boreal Plains Ecozone, as defined by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), is a terrestrial ecozone in the western Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It also has minor extensions into northeastern British Columbia and south-central Northwest Territories. The region extends over 779,471 km2, of which 58,981 km2 is conserved (7.6 percent).
Wood Buffalo National Park, the largest national park in Canada, and Whooping Crane Summer Range, the only nesting and breeding area for the critically endangered whooping crane, are both located in the northern portion of this ecozone.
Industry in this ecozone once consisted primarily of forestry and agriculture, but in 1967 Great Canadian Oil Sands Limited began extracting bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands. Operations there have expanded significantly since 2003, and the oil sands are becoming an increasingly significant economic factor in the region.




Geography


Overlaying a bedrock of Cretaceous shale and Tertiary sediments are thick deposits of soil that form a flat terrain in the Interior Plains. It borders the Montane Cordillera to the west, closely following the border between Alberta and British Columbia. To its south is the Prairies ecozone for its entire extent, while to the north are the Taiga Plains, with its northeastern periphery adjacent to the Taiga Shield. 20 sub-region are located within the ecoregion.
Covering 650,000 square kilometres (250,000 sq mi), it is a region of subdued relief with few lakes. However, meltwater from glacial retreat between 11,000 and 8,000 years ago resulted in extensive deltas and dunes, forming Lake Winnipegosis at the eastern end of this zone. It is a remnant of Lake Agassiz, a large glacial lake. Most rivers originate in the Rocky Mountains, flowing eastward through the zone.
Oil, Forestry, and agriculture are the largest industries. The region is nearly covered by timber, about 84% of the region, The Athabasca oil sands area around 141,000 square kilometres (54,000 sq mi) of land. Agriculture takes place mainly in the Peace River Country in Alberta and British Columbia. This can employ up to 20% of the land area, though it is typically less than that. Large communities include, Fort St. John, Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray, Hayriver, La Ronge, and The Pas.




= Ecoprovinces

=
This ecozone can be further subdivided into three ecoprovinces:

Boreal Foothills
Central Boreal Plains
Eastern Boreal Plains




Climate


Lying east of the Rocky Mountains, the region experiences low precipitation, averaging 450 millimetres (18 in) annually, with 300 millimetres (12 in) in the west and 650 millimetres (26 in) in the east. However, this is greater than the rate of evaporation by over 100 millimetres (3.9 in) in the south, and 300 millimetres (12 in) in the north and at the foothills of the Rockies. The excess moisture promotes the development of wetlands and peat bogs, which account for between 25–50% of the ecozone's area.
Summers are moderately warm, with mean July temperatures of 13 to 15 °C (55 to 59 °F), whereas winters may be very cold, with mean January temperatures of −17.5 to −11 °C (0.5 to 12.2 °F).




EcoRegions


Each province continues to work on defining subregions within the larger
national ecozone system.
The Alberta Natural Subregion – Natural Regions (2006) found within this ecozone are:

Peace River Parkland – Parkland
Dry Mixedwood – Boreal Forest
Central Mixedwood – Boreal Forest
Peace-Athabasca Delta – Boreal Forest
The Manitoba Ecoregions within this ecozone are:

Mid-Boreal Lowland Ecoregion
Boreal Transition Ecoregion
Mid-Boreal Uplands Ecoregion
Interlake Plain Ecoregion
The Saskatchewan Ecoregions within this ecozone are:

Mid-Boreal Upland
Mid-Boreal Lowland
Boreal Transition




Protected areas


A number of protected areas have been established to protect representative and/or significant portions of this ecozone. These include:




= Alberta

=
Cross Lake Provincial Park
Dunvegan Provincial Park
Elk Island National Park
Lakeland Provincial Park
Thunder Lake Provincial Park
Wood Buffalo National Park including the Whooping Crane Summer Range




= Manitoba

=
Birch Island Provincial Park
Birds Hill Provincial Park
Brokenhead Wetland Ecological Reserve
Clearwater Lake Provincial Park
Chitek Lake Anishinaabe Provincial Park
Duck Mountain Provincial Park
Dog Lake Wildlife Management Area
Elk Island Provincial Park
Fisher Bay Provincial Park
Grand Island Provincial Park
Goose Islands Provincial Park
Grass River Provincial Park
Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park
Hilbre Wildlife Management Area
Kinwow Bay Provincial Park
Little Birch Wildlife Management Area
Little Limestone Lake Provincial Park
Long Point Ecological Reserve
Mars Hill Wildlife Management Area
Narcisse Wildlife Management Area
Palsa Hazel Ecological Reserve
Peonan Point Wildlife Management Area
Proulx Lake Wildlife Management Area
Red Deer Lake Wildlife Management Area
Reindeer Island Ecological Reserve
St. Malo Wildlife Management Area
Ste. Anne Bog Ecological Reserve
Sleeve Lake Wildlife Management Area
Stuartburn Wildlife Management Area
Rat River Wildlife Management Area
Riding Mountain National Park
Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park
Walter Cook Caves Ecological Reserve
Watson P. Davidson Wildlife Management Area




= Saskatchewan

=
Duck Mountain Provincial Park
Greenwater Lake Provincial Park
Meadow Lake Provincial Park
Narrow Hills Provincial Park
Prince Albert National Park




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Boreal Plains Ecozone (CEC)
• Boreal Shield Ecozone (CEC)
• Taiga Plains Ecozone (CEC)
• Boreal Cordillera
• Great Plains
• Southern Hudson Bay taiga
• Montane Cordillera
• Ecozones of Canada
• Taiga Shield Ecozone (CEC)
• Geography of Alberta