Current Human Impacts

The main industries in Saskatchewan are timber, agriculture, oil, and mining. Deforestation due to the timber industry has been a problem in Saskatchewan for decades and accounts for 1.7 - 2.5% of Canada’s total CO2 emissions (Fitzsimmons 2003). Not only does deforestation result in increased carbon emissions, but the fragmentation caused by cutting down trees alters the spatial structure of landscapes affecting plant and animal life (Fitzsimmons 2002). In forests that have been fragmented due to deforestation, bird species variety was less  and had a lower daily nest survival than in areas of contiguous forest (Fitzsimmons 2002). The largest decreases in wooded areas in the boreal forests occurred in agricultural areas where the forests have no legal protection (Fitzsimmons 2003). About 95% of Saskatchewan’s prairies have been converted into farmland (Torsten, McGill University).

Source: Saskatchewan and Its People

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cansk/SaskatchewanAndItsPeople/VolumeII/logginginnorthernsaskatchewan.html

Saskatchewan also uses hydroelectric power, which can have a large impact on aquatic ecosystems. There are different types of hydroelectric power plants; the more common type is the reservoir plant which requires the building of dams (SaskPower Hydro). Building large dams is damaging to aquatic ecosystems; biodiversity; the natural flood cycle on downstream floodplains; fisheries in the upstream, reservoir and downstream areas; and water quality (World Commission on Dams). In addition, building dams causes the build-up of sediment behind the dam which reduces the flow of nutrients downstream and impacts aquatic and waterfowl ecosystems (World Commission on Dams). The consequence of trapped sediment also acts as a physical barrier for river species who need to travel upriver to hatch their young (World Commission on Dams).

Video of the Gardiner Dam spillway, on the South Saskatchewan River, Saskatchewan, Canada. Gardiner Dam is the third largest embankment dam in Canada, and one of the largest in the world.

Mining is one of Saskatchewan’s most fruitful industries, the main products being potash, uranium, coal, and kaolin clay. Uranium mining in particular has been the subject of environmental impact studies. Uranium mining and milling operations have the potential for trace elements such as U, Ni, As, Se and Mo to be released into the ecosystem (Muscatello et. al, 2008).

Location of Key Lake Uranium Mine within Saskatchewan, Canada (Wikipedia).

Muscatello et. al. 2008 and Wiramanaden et. al. 2009 both performed studies measuring the bioaccumulation of selenium downstream from the Key Lake Uranium Mine in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. After tests of Selenium concentration in water, sediment, and biota, Muscatello et. al. 2008 found that the selenium concentration in the sediment and biota did not depend on the selenium concentration in water, and that biomagnification resulted in a 1.5 to 6 fold increase in selenium content between plankton, invertebrates, and forage fish. They also found that the Selenium content in exposed organisms exceeded the set dietary toxicity threshold for fish of 3-11 milligrams/g dry weight, indicating potential for reproductive harm to fish. Wiramanaden et. al. 2009 also found evidence supporting biomagnification of selenium downstream from Key Lake Mine. The measured concentration of selenium in sediment at all sites exceeded the proposed thresholds for the protection of fish and aquatic birds.

Table 1: Quantification of mining productivity by product by year in Saskatchewan, Canada.
(Saskatchewan Ministry of the Economy, updated November 2013)