This work is a scientific monograph that examines the flora and vegetation of natural mineral
wetlands in comparison to mineral wetlands affected by bitumen exploitation. The work is of
broad relevance because (a) wetland loss and degradation is a global problem (b) the continued
global increase in fossil fuel exploitation is resulting in widespread damage and (c) bitumen
(tar sands oil sands) exploitation is a rapidly growing and destructive set of activities. The
core of the work is a meta-analysis of 417 vegetation plots. Analyses of change over time and
chemical and physical attributes of water and soil are presented for the subset of plots with
sufficient data. The purpose of the work is to demonstrate that: (1) There are marked
differences between natural and industrially-affected wetlands. (2) Industrially-affected
mineral wetlands differ from natural wetlands in their vegetation assemblages their depressed
vegetation and species diversity and their abundance of exotic weeds. (3) Successful
post-bitumen mining wetland reclamation has not been accomplished and may not be attainable
within the foreseeable future given the ecological and physical conditions of the industrial
wetlands current reclamation practices and lax regulatory standards. In regard to government
policy and industrial practices it finds that they are responsible for reclamation failure on
a grand scale.
