AWA’s Feedback on the Draft Plan for Parks

June 25, 2025

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• Protected Areas
• Wildlands

The Alberta government wants public feedback on its draft Plan for Parks, which will guide how provincially-run parks will be managed over the next decade.

Based on the draft plan and the summary of public feedback gathered last summer, AWA is concerned that the draft Plan does not reflect the full mandate of the Provincial Parks Act (the Act), nor the results from Phase 1 of the Plan for Parks Engagement.

To help develop a final Plan consistent with the Act and the Phase 1 feedback, AWA has summarized our recommendations below:

• The Plan must better reflect the Phase 1 feedback of parks’ users who,
  • highly value biodiversity and healthy ecosystems,
  • do not support increasing the availability of recreational opportunities inconsistent with the protection of biodiversity and ecosystems, and,
  • do not support increased commercialization or commodification of Alberta Parks.
• No changes to the Provincial Parks Act or associated regulations must be introduced in the final draft of the Plan, as consultation has not occurred regarding this process.
• Ensuring the lasting protection of Alberta’s natural heritage and conservation of flora and fauna is the purpose of the Act and must be given the highest priority in the Plan.
• The Plan must show a stronger focus on the protection of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, ecological processes, and representative landscapes.
• Establishing new parks and prioritizing threatened and under-representative ecosystems are the most effective methods to support the Plan’s overarching goals and should be the top priority for implementation.
• Not all types of recreation or accessible infrastructure (e.g. OHV trails) are appropriate for all parks, even if they increase accessibility for the public. Ecological integrity and connectivity must be the focus of the plan.
• Private recreational development, hunting opportunity expansion, and the creation of spaces for motorized vehicles and electric-powered equipment recreation in parks should not be supported within the final Plan.
• 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.
• The Alberta government must complete the remaining regional and subregional land-use plans under the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA).
• All conservation areas promised in existing land-use plans must be established.
• Albertans deserve strong and binding commitments to transparency, accessibility, and accountability.

AWA’s concerns and recommendations to the Ministers of Environment and Protected Areas and Forestry and Parks can be read in full here.