Waterton Biosphere Reserve

UNESCO Biosphere Region in Alberta, Canada

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Waterton Biosphere Region

Upper Blakiston Falls

Location of Waterton Biosphere Region in Alberta

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Location of Waterton Biosphere Region in Canada

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Location| Southwestern Alberta, Canada
Coordinates| 49°45′05″N 113°49′03″W﻿ / ﻿49.75139°N 113.81750°W﻿ / 49.75139; -113.81750
Area| 66,761 hectares (257.77 sq mi)
Established| 1979
Governing body| Waterton Lakes National Park, Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association.

Waterton Biosphere Region (established 1979) is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve encompassing Waterton Lakes National Park in the extreme southwest of the Province of Alberta, Canada. The region includes a section of the east slopes of the Rocky Mountains extending from the Continental Divide to the edge of the Canadian Great Plains to the east, including the Municipality of Pincher Creek and Cardston County. The Glacier Biosphere Reserve and National Park in Montana, USA is located to the south of the area.

The region is administered by Waterton Lakes National Park and the Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association.[1]

As part of UNESCO’s ‘Man and the Biosphere’ Program, Waterton Biosphere Region strives to achieve a sustainable balance between three primary goals:

* Conservation of Biodiversity – to contribute to the conservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation.
* Sustainable Development – to encourage economic and human development which is socially, culturally, and environmentally sustainable (meets the needs of the present, without compromising the needs of future generations).
* Capacity Building – to improve the ability and potential of our communities to make sound decisions for conservation and resource use through research, monitoring, education and information exchange.

## Ecological characteristics

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The steep environmental gradients from the Continental Divide to the prairies have created an unusually rich mosaic of habitats with their associated flora and fauna.[1]

The biosphere region covers native prairie grasslands, aspen grove forests, subalpine forests, alpine tundra and meadows, cliffs, lakes and freshwater wetlands as well as tame pasture and cropland in the prairies.[1]

Prairie grasslands including Danthonia spp., Festuca scabrella and prairie Junegrass; aspen grove forests with quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), Amelanchier alnifolia and cow parsnip {Heracleum latanum); alpine tundra/high meadows characterized by Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), limber pine (P. flexilis) and white barkpine (P. albicaulis); arctic-alpine communities above the tree line dominated by Dryas octopetala and Polemonium viscosum; upper subalpine forests with alpine larch (Larix lyallii), Luzula hitchcockii, Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa); lower subalpine forests dominated by Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir; deciduous forest, coniferous forests dominated by Douglas fir and limber pine; cliffs, lakes and freshwater wetlands; disturbed, heavily grazed land with quaking aspen, Urtica dioica, Bromus inermis and Phleum pratense.[1]

Several rare or threatened plant and animal species are found in Waterton Biosphere Region with more than 1000 vascular plant species, 182 bryophytes and 218 lichen species, 60 species of mammals, over 260 species of birds, 24 species of fish, and 10 reptiles and amphibians being recorded within the ecologically diverse core area.[2]

## Socio-economic characteristics

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The region is also home to many vibrant communities – Pincher Creek, Cardston, Crowsnest Pass, Piikani and Kainai Reserves, and others – each with a rich and distinct cultural history, and reliance on a wide range of economic activities. In Waterton Biosphere Region, people are actively involved with ranching, farming, tourism and recreation, wind energy, mining, the oil and gas industry, and other natural resource-related activities.

The Waterton Biosphere Reserve Association strives to achieve a balance between conserving biological diversity, promoting sustainable use of resources, and building the capacity of local residents, First Nations, and organizations to positively affect their communities and the environment.[3]

## Area

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The region's surface area (terrestrial and marine) is 1,037,070 hectares (4,004.1 sq mi). The core area is 49,936 hectares (192.80 sq mi), surrounded by buffer zone(s) of 336,476 hectares (1,299.14 sq mi) and transition area(s) of 445,213 hectares (1,718.98 sq mi).[1]

## See also

[edit]

* Biosphere Reserves of Canada

## Sources

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This article incorporates text from a free content work. (license statement/permission). Text taken from UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory​, UNESCO, UNESCO.

* v
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Canadian Rockies

Ranges|

* Ball
* Bare
* Beaverfoot
* Blue
* Bow
* Crowsnest
* Elk
* Fairholme
* Fiddle
* Flathead
* Foothills
* High Rock
* Kananaskis
* Livingstone
* Lizard
* Maligne
* Massive
* Misty
* Morrissey
* Palliser
* President
* Queen Elizabeth
* Rainbow
* Ram
* Sawback
* Sentinel
* Slate
* South Jasper
* Sundance
* Terminal
* Tower of London
* Vermilion
* Victoria Cross
* Waputik
* Winston Churchill
* Continental Ranges
* Hart Ranges
* Muskwa Ranges

Mountains|

* Alberta
* Andromeda
* Assiniboine
* Athabasca
* Brazeau
* Bryce
* Cascade
* Castle
* Castleguard
* Clemenceau
* Columbia
* Cory
* Edith Cavell
* Forbes
* Hector
* Hosmer
* Hungabee
* Joffre
* Kitchener
* Lyell
* Heart
* Pilot
* Pyramid
* Resplendent
* Robson
* Rundle
* Sarbach
* Saskatchewan
* Smythe
* Snow Dome
* Stanley Peak
* Sulphur
* Temple
* Three Sisters
* Trinity
* Twin
* Ulysses
* Unnamed Alberta–BC mountain (formerly Mount Pétain)
* Whymper

Passes|

* Abbot
* Athabasca
* Bush
* Carcajou
* Crowsnest
* Elbow
* Elk
* Fortress
* Fraser
* Highwood
* Howse
* Jarvis
* Kananaskis
* Kicking Horse
* Monkman
* Muncho
* North Kananaskis
* Palliser
* Pine
* Simpson
* Sinclair
* Summit
* Sunwapta
* Tonquin
* Vermilion
* Wapiti
* White Man
* Yellowhead

Glaciers|

* Athabasca
* Bow
* Columbia Icefield
* Crowfoot
* Hector
* Peyto
* Saskatchewan
* Vulture
* Wapta
* Waputik Icefield

Rivers|

see List of rivers of the Canadian Rockies and Category:Rivers of the Canadian Rockies

Peoples|

* Mountain Stoney
* Mountain Metis

Parks and protected areas|

| International|

* Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site
* Waterton Biosphere Reserve
* Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

|

National|

Parks
Banff
Jasper
Kootenay
Yoho
Waterton Lakes

Historic Sites
Jasper House
Jasper Park Information Centre
Yellowhead Pass
Athabasca Pass
Howse Pass
Kootenae House
Kicking Horse Pass
Skoki Ski Lodge
Twin Falls Tea House
Abbot Pass Refuge Cabin
Cave and Basin
Banff Park Museum
Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station
First Oil Well in Western Canada

Provincial (AB)|

Parks
Bow Valley
Bragg Creek
Elbow-Sheep
Ghost River
Kananaskis
Peter Lougheed
Sheep River
Siffleur
Spray Valley
White Goat
Willmore

Historic Sites
Frank Slide

Provincial (BC)|

* Akamina-Kishinena
* Close To The Edge
* Dune Za Keyih (Frog-Gataga)
* Elk Lakes
* Graham-Laurier
* Hamber
* Height of the Rockies
* Hole-in-the-Wall
* Kakwa
* Kikomun Creek
* Kwadacha
* Mount Assiniboine
* Mount Fernie
* Mount Robson
* Muncho Lake
* Northern Rocky Mountains
* Pine Le Moray
* Stone Mountain
* Muskwa-Kechika

Ski resorts|

* Castle Mountain
* Fernie
* Fortress Mountain
* Lake Louise
* Little Mac
* Marmot Basin
* Mount Norquay
* Nakiska
* Powder King
* Sunshine Village

Communities|

* Banff
* Canmore
* Crowsnest Pass
* Elkford
* Fernie
* Field
* Jasper
* Lake Louise
* Sparwood
* Tumbler Ridge
* Valemount
* Waterton Park

Ecozone and ecoregions|

CEC ecozones

* Boreal Cordillera
* Montane Cordillera

WWF ecoregions

* Alberta Mountain forests
* Alberta–British Columbia foothills forests
* North Central Rockies forest

See also
Geography portal
Canada portal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory: Waterton". Retrieved 2 June 2016.
2. ^ "About Waterton Biosphere Region". Waterton Biosphere Region. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
3. ^ "WATERTON BIOSPHERE RESERVE ASSOCIATION". Waterton Biosphere Region. Retrieved 2024-07-26.

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