Ecosystem health: an example of implications arising from regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), and the importance of setting precedent

Abstract

Ecosystem health is a key principle which underlies the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).This act is designed to protect human health and the environment from harmful and/or irreversible effects by providing a 'cradle-to-grave' regulation of toxic substances.As an example of the application of this act, this contribution considers the most toxic dioxins and furans which are generally associated with Kraft pulp mill effluents. These are some of the first substances to come under the CEPA legislation. The proposed CEPA regulations for dioxins and furans are based on 'end-of-pipe' control, which would effectively limit their concentrations in effluent to something close to measurable levels. Depending on sample matrix and methodology, however, measurable levels may differ considerably.Evidence presented at the Alberta-Pacific (ALPAC) pulp mill hearings in Alberta and the Northwest Territories during 1989 demonstrated that total loadings are particularly important in dealing with the far-field effects of these extremely toxic, persistent, and bioaccumulating substances. Further, it was reported that there might be no threshold of effect for tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (2, 3, 7, 8 TCDD) or the companion furan. If such evidence is correct, the CEPA regulations should be designed to achieve zero discharge of these contaminants. Measurable levels, as presently defined in the CEPA regulations, may be in excess of zero discharge requirements.Clearly, such inconsistency may cause problems and should be addressed directly. Unfortunately, the first draft of the CEPA regulations represents a piecemeal approach. In this, it is unfair to industry, it is scientifically inadequate, and it may not be enforceable. The application of CEPA regulations for the pulp and paper industry will set a new precedent for Canada's approach to ecosystem health. It is therefore essential to base decisions on a good understanding of the dynamics and effects of chemicals in ecosystems and to re-evaluate, carefully, the toxicities of key contaminants. Interim measures are likely appropriate.

Raising consciousness in ecosystem health

“…Attempts by the Canadian Environmental Advisory Council to identify indicators of sustainable development, i.e. Ecosystem health is a key principle underlying the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) of 1988 (Sly, 1992)• These few examples show that it is widely accepted that the concept and measurement of ecosystem health must be developed in a way that recognizes that ecological capabilities of the globe are required to support human needs• Human needs can only be supported sustainably by ecosystems and a biosphere that are healthy• Nevertheless, although the concepts of sustainable development and, more recently, ecosystem health are well established in the vocabulary of mainstream western society, as they stand they have not greatly affected the impending global crisis• Despite gains in societal environmental awareness over the past 20 years, 'the global environment Indicators should 'reflect explicit linkages between human economic behaviour and the degree of vigour and productivity of the broader ecosystem', i.e.…”

“…The concept of ecosystem integrity within the binational 1978 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was influenced by the land ethic of Leopold (1949). Humans and their health are seen as dependent upon the health of ecosystems in the context of legislation (Canadian Environmental Protection Act) to protect human health from toxic chemicals (Sly, 1992). The ecosystems approach is 'a perspective that views social, economic, and environmental issues within the context of nature and that relates political systems to larger ecological systems that contain them, rather than as interacting entities among themselves' (Vallentyne & Hamilton, 1987).…”

A novel environmental restoration method for an abandoned limestone quarry with a deep open pit and steep palisades: a case study

“…Western developed countries have a long history of mining, and many mines have been abandoned. Since the 1920s, environmental restoration of mines, especially open-pit mining land, has been carried out, and relevant laws have been promulgated to recover the mining environments [ 8 ] in Canada, Germany and Australia [ 1 , 9 ]. The environmental restoration of a quarry area in northeastern Spain [ 10 ], the treatment engineering of the Berkeley Pit in the USA [ 11 ] and other projects have provided valuable experience for environmental restoration of mines.…”