Areas in the Western Cordillera
The Western Cordillera Covers about four different ecozones. These four ecozones are the Taiga Cordillera, Boreal Cordillera,Pacific Maritime,and the Montana Cordillera. The human industry and tourism is different in each area.
Taiga Cordillera Industry and Tourism
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Only a few hundred people live here, and subsistence activities are the norm. Otherwise, there is some tourism, The Northern Yukon Park and the area’s spectacular scenery makes this ecozone attractive to tourists from around the world. The mane town in this small area is called Old Crow and has about 256 of the 300 residents in the whole region.
Boreal Cordillera Industry and Tourism
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Mining has historically been economically important for this ecozone, the Klondike gold rush being the best known incident. Most mines have closed down recently, and forestry is becoming more important. Wherever mines have been, their toxic tailings and environmental damage have long-lasting effects. About half of the ecozone’s labour force is engaged in public administration or services, with another 12% in commerce. The most historic mining area that is still used today is the Klondike Plateau. Important mineral deposits are found within the ecozone. Among these are the Casino deposit (copper-gold-molybdenum), Carmacks deposit (copper-gold) and the Mount Nansen deposit (gold-silver). Major hard rock mining properties in the past have included the lead-zinc mine at Faro, the Keno-Elsa Silver Mine, Ketza River Gold Mine, Mount Nansen Gold Mine and the Brewery Creek Gold Mine. All have been closed in recent years, but Faro reopened recently and a couple of others are planning to resume operations in the near future.
Pacific Maritime Industry and Tourism
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Human activities have an enormous effect on the Pacific Maritime ecozone. Two and a half million people live in this ecozone, and the population continues to grow by leaps and bounds. The resulting urban growth has severely strained ecosystems in the areas around the major urban centres. Forestry also threatens many systems and overfishing does much the same in the coastal waters. The commercial fishing industry is another major player in the ecozone. Both native and aquaculture stocks of salmon are especially prized. Most Sockeye, Pink, and Chum Salmon stocks have increased since the 1960s. However, Chinook and Coho Salmon stocks are low due to overfishing, habitat damage, and natural factors. Logging and related forest industries have been the economic mainstay of many communities in this ecozone. Between 1920 and 1992, while the area logged each year doubled in the rest of Canada, it tripled in the Pacific Maritime.
Montana Cordillera
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Cattle grazing, forestry and mining are three of the major activities here. These and population growth all put pressure on the natural systems and even the many provincial parks in the ecozone through encroachment and habitat fragmentation. Tourism is also having an increasingly large effect on the area. Mining is an important activity within the ecozone. Five of B.C's eight coal mines and three of Alberta's 11 occur within its boundaries. A major lead-zinc refinery is located at Trail. Copper, gold, silver, molybdenum and other precious metals are also mined within the ecozone and two areas are seeing active diamond exploration. This ecozone contains six national parks, including the oldest in Canada, Banff National Park. As well, there is an extensive network of provincial parks.