"Cumulative effects are difficult to understand," says Ron Cruikshank, Director of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council (YLUPC), "but understanding them is critical to achieving sustainable development."

But that doesn't mean that they aren't trying. Though the collective effects of human activity are somewhat elusive to science, there are studies and initiatives underway in the Yukon to help provide more information about these accumulated activities.

"Cumulative effects are basically the sum total of effects -- both positive and negative -- of all land use activities," explains Shawn Francis, a land and resource planner with the YLUPC. "It's important to understand cumulative effects because all land uses interact with each other, and some land uses may have positive or negative effects on adjacent land uses."

"We need to understand and manage for these effects to maintain the range of values on the landscape, whether they be economic opportunities or scenic vistas or supporting a specific population of caribou."

Three partners support the Yukon Land Use Planning Council -- the federal government, the Yukon government and Yukon First Nations. The land use planning process in the Yukon is well underway, with a couple of regional commissions already at work and others to follow.

Though land use planning is largely a values-driven process that at times seems a bit nebulous, its foundation is information. Scientific data, traditional and local knowledge, and other information fuels the process. For participants to arrive at decisions, they rely on a wide range of inputs to make educated judgements about how the land should be used.

As a result, information management is a major component of the planning process. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to analyze and display much of the spatial information used in planning, and governments are focusing on standardizing as much information as possible.

"A key question is how to link with existing plans," says Francis. "We're also examining how to incorporate different tools such as land designation systems, thresholds and ecological mapping into regional plans to help manage cumulative effects."

"We have so much to learn about different land uses and their associated economic, social and environmental effects. The mapping of values is very important," he adds. "Examining different scenarios and trade-offs is critical to our work."

But as any scientist knows, the inputs required for the examination of trade-offs must be based on valid assumptions and accurate data. Otherwise, as Francis points out, if you put junk in you get junk out.

"In the Yukon, we're short on inputs -- in many cases the information just isn't there," explains Cruikshank. There are only so many data sets, and many aren't easy to work with.

"Data may not have been collected properly, or it isn't spatial," says Francis. "So we're constantly interpreting. The trick is synthesizing from limited data sets so we can plug them into the planning process."

Though it seems like a mammoth task to compile and integrate existing Yukon data, according to these planners, information is limited and there are still lots of gaps. Comprehensive processes like land use planning underscore the increasing demand for ongoing scientific research, mapping, baseline data and other land-based research projects in the Yukon.

Land use planning is done all over the world, but as Francis points out, a significant difference sets the Yukon apart. "Elsewhere, it's largely reactionary planning, and usually a top-down process. The patterns of land use are generally already set."

"But here we have the opportunity to work somewhat outside those constraints, and use tools that allow us to do scenario-based planning."

Being able to take this more proactive, enabling approach is the envy of other jurisdictions.

"The key is that if we can get a better handle on ecological sustainability and economic potential, we can have the opportunity to develop plans from the bottom up," says Francis.

For them, integrating regional land use planning and cumulative effects is the next big step. The YLUPC is co-sponsoring a conference in early February on the subject, where they hope to engage people from all backgrounds in discussions about planning and cumulative effects issues.

"We're embracing the management of cumulative effects," says Francis, "because there appears to be general recognition among most resource agencies that things have to change."

"Sustainable development cannot be achieved without addressing cumulative effects," adds Cruikshank, "and land use planning provides an opportunity for us to do so."

Francis was involved in a Southern Lakes area study that is part of a cumulative effects assessment of the Carcross caribou herd winter range. Researchers are trying to quantify the total direct and indirect human footprint on the land. Interestingly, the Yukon government's land development branch commissioned the study to facilitate improved decision making, an indication of the broader application of cumulative effects research.

"Science plays a role by increasing our ability to quantify and predict these effects," says Cruikshank. "Science is one input. Others include the process, people and their values and legislative realities."

For information on the Yukon Land Use Planning Council or their upcoming workshop on Land Use Planning and Cumulative Effects, contact council staff at (867) 667-7397.