An integral part of the ecosystem are the organisms that inhabit the area. In ANWR, disrupting the fragile balance of these organisms is one of the major concerns related to whether or not oil exploration and drilling should proceed. Particularly, effects on the migration patterns of the Porcupine Caribou Herd may result in devastating changes that endanger survival of young as well as adult caribou. Also of great concern are the polar bears, which build dens that may be disturbed by human activity. Studies done so far have been less than conclusive, but they suggest that while many polar bears may be tolerant of such activity in the fall, problems may arise in the spring when newborn cubs are born and cannot leave the den for two or more months post-partum.
Source: http://www.defenders.org
Wildlife in the 1002 area is extraordinarily diverse for such a small, cold
piece of land. Throughout
the year, hundreds of species migrate to the 1002 region of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge. These include birds,
mammals and fish which migrate to this
region for a multitude of purposes generally
between the months of May and October.
This
region has proven to be a center of biological activity throughout these
months due many factors including nutritional
benefits, increased safety from predators
and a more favorable climate. Thus, a method
to extract oil should carefully take into
consideration these species and the impact on
their habitat and livelihood in order to
preserve the current ecosystem. Because the
area has been left untouched for centuries,
the impact of oil drilling could be severe if
the migratory species are not taken into
consideration.
For
many species, the 1002 region is not a critical stopover along their migratory
paths. For example, over 135 bird species
visit the area each year, but only a small
percentage stay significant periods of time,
while even fewer use the area for breeding
purposes. For land species, this also holds
true. For example, the moose population
would be minimally impacted by oil drilling
because its calving grounds is in the Old
Crow Flats in Canada and their stay in the
1002 region is brief.
However,
for the few species that do spend a significant amount of time in the
region, the environmental impact of oil
drilling can be devastating. Disturbances such as
roads and noise pollution could potentially
affect the survival rates of species which
breed and calve in the area, as well as
species which depend on the region for nutrition.
For instance, the preservation of the 1002
region is essential to the survival of the
porcupine caribou herd, which calve there.
This is an extremely critical time period for
the calves because of their vulnerability to
predators and great nutritional need.
Therefore
it is necessary to identify critical time periods during the year in which
the most damage would occur so that oil
drilling could be planned accordingly. Also, the
impacts of permanent structures and
disturbances caused by oil extraction should be
properly assessed and evaluated. In order to
comprehensively consider the consequences
of oil production, this report will present an
analysis of major species, the potential
impact of drilling, and propose methods of
minimizing this impact.
The following trophic
level diagram shows briefly the interrelations between the different species:
Producers:
Phytoplankton
Sedges: Tussock, Cottongrass
Willow
Mosses
Lichens