Quantifying and Restoring Aquatic Connectivity in Atlantic Canada's National Parks

Despite heightened levels of protection, impacts of river fragmentation are widespread in Canada's National Parks.  Fragmentation associated with dams and culverts is a pervasive stressor that impacts Species at Risk and/or culturally important species such as Atlantic salmon and American eel.  While this ecological problem is tractable and efforts are underway to improve stream access, costs can be prohibitive.  We applied the Dendritic Connectivity Index (DCI) in six National Parks to assess watershed connectivity and simulated restoration scenarios to determine which restorations would maximize ecological benefits. Practical (e.g., quantifying barrier passability) and theoretical considerations (e.g. relationships of habitat connectivity to fish communities) are discussed.