Action Alert: Be nature’s voice in the new “Plan for Parks”

July 18, 2024

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• Action Alerts
• Biodiversity
• LUF
• Protected Areas

The Alberta government wants public feedback on its new Plan for Parks, which will guide how provincially-run parks will be managed over the next decade.Under the Provincial Parks Act, all of these parks are intended to have “protection, management, planning and control” by the province to protect Alberta’s landscapes, ecosystems, and biodiversity to provide natural experiences for generations to come.

However, we note that any mentions of conserving or protecting nature within the proposed plan are few and far between. This is not in line with Alberta’s own legislation, the stated goals of Alberta Parks, or the interests of Albertans who cherish the parks. No one wants to hike, bike, boat, or camp in a degraded landscape. Instead, the engagement documents overwhelmingly focus on gathering input regarding accommodations, park access, recreation and tourism opportunities, and commercial development – concentrating on how humans use nature, with little regard for the nature itself.  

We encourage all Albertans to respond to the survey to let the province know we need a plan that prioritizes protecting ecosystems and biodiversity, conserving wildlife, and preserving precious landscapes for generations to come.

Here’s how you can help.

Fill in the government’s online survey, and take every opportunity to remind our leaders that proper protections and management of Alberta’s protected areas is the only way to have the nature-based recreation and tourism opportunities they seek to expand.

AWA has summarized recommendations below that can help guide your submission or be copied into an email to the Ministers of Forestry and Parks (fp.minister@gov.ab.ca), Environment and Protected Area (epa.minister@gov.ab.ca), and your MLA. We also recommend you check out a question-by-question survey guide created by our friends at CPAWS.

AWA’s recommendations:

• Preserving Alberta’s ecosystems, ecological processes, and biological diversity is foundational to the Provincial Parks Act and must be prioritized in the new plan for parks and reflected in the vision.
• Any guiding principles chosen for the new plan must retain and encompass the intent of the previous principles listed in the 2009-2019 Plan for Parks. The public should have opportunities to improve upon previous definitions.
• Improving the equitability of access cannot come at the expense of ecological integrity and connectivity.
• Alberta Parks are public spaces, and increasing commercial development is inconsistent with improving equitable access.
• The government must refrain from delegating their responsibility for the management of Alberta protected areas.
• Prior to publication of a new plan, Albertans deserve transparent information and accountability on the successes and challenges of the 2009 – 2019 iteration.
• A strategy for the improvement and expansion of protected areas under the Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands (WAERNAHR) Act must be developed concurrently, as these were included under the previous Plan.
• The Alberta government must complete the remaining regional and subregional land-use plans under the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA) prior to making any land-use decisions. All of the new protected areas promised within the existing land-use plans need to be established.

For more background on these recommendations, please see AWA’s letter to the government regarding the Plan for Parks engagement.