Risk Based Salinity Guidelines for Peatlands Phase 1: Literature Review and Gap Analysis

The overall objective of this research is to obtain sufficient scientific data relevant to salinity in
peatlands in northern climates to allow for the derivation of risk-based assessment and
remediation guidelines. To achieve this goal, data were collected from the existing literature, and
will be collected from the field, and from laboratory toxicity testing. Once assembled, this data set
will be the most comprehensive available and will represent the state-of-the-science in northern
peatlands ecotoxicology and salinity research. The first phase of this multi-year project (Phase I,
described herein) is a literature review and data gap analysis.

The objective of the Phase I literature review was to –

1. Identify the key ecological characteristics of western Canadian peatland environments,
2. Review the available literature on salt toxicity to peatland flora and fauna and to identify scientific knowledge gaps,
3. Review wetland management guidelines and policies in place in other jurisdictions,
4. Review current restoration and remediation techniques for disturbed peatlands: those approaches that have been found to be successful for restoring perturbed  peatlands back into functioning ecosystems2
5. Develop a set of preliminary conceptual models for the subsequent development of environmental risk-based guidelines for assessing and remediating salt-affected peatlands.