JEA POLICY REGARDING RESEARCH ON PARK WILDLIFE

Protection of wildlife is paramount in a national park: pregnant females and females with young particularly should be protected from untoward disturbance.

The Jasper Environmental Association would like to see the following conditions apply to any proposed research on birds and mammals in Jasper National Park:

• the need for the study should be clearly defined and should not be carried out if nothing can realistically be accomplished with the data obtained e.g. migrating birds that may have contaminants from their wintering areas, airborne pollutants from other countries (unless necessary for issuing health warnings on eating fish etc.)

• if data is needed for management decision-making, priority should be given to non-invasive research i.e. observation, analysis of hair samples and droppings, collection of dead animals and birds for analysis etc.

• any research that could stress or injure individual animals or birds should not be carried out on species or populations that are vulnerable or at risk

• the research should never be primarily a subject for advancing the education of the researcher

• research that has already been done on other populations should not be duplicated on national park wildlife while delaying actual protective measures – this would be the time to invoke the precautionary principle

Jasper Environmental Association

September 22, 2006