What’s Possible for Canadian Nature Conservation?

April 24, 2019

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• Grasslands
• News Release
• Protected Areas

Alberta’s Grassland and Parkland Natural Regions need Other Effective Area-Based Measures of Conservation if they are to achieve the protection they deserve. Photo © C. Olson

This week, the Canadian government made a number of announcements that will increase nature conservation within Canada, including the permanent protection of 345 hectares of ecologically significant private land in New Brunswick by Nature Trust.

Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) recognizes the importance of private land conservation to achieving Canada Target 1 and encourages Alberta to publish a plan of how they will achieve 17 percent protection by 2020, including how other conservation options will be incorporated.

“The announcements made this week by the Canadian government show they are serious about protecting all of Canada’s natural areas, even ones that require more innovative approaches to protection” said Grace Wark, AWA Conservation Specialist “If we’re going to achieve 17 percent by 2020, we need to use the whole slate of protections which include Other Effective Area-Based Measures of Conservation and Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.”

Alberta could follow New Brunswick’s lead and protect important patchworks of public and privately-owned lands in the province’s Grassland and Parkland Natural Regions to help achieve Canada Target 1.

Canada Target 1
Canada Target 1 commits to protecting 17 percent of Canada’s landbase and inland waters, and 10 percent of marine and coastal areas by 2020 to sustain Canadian biodiversity.

For more information:
Grace Wark, Alberta Wilderness Association, 403.283.2025