Unit 2

Natural Attractions

Lesson 7: Environment Preservation

"Nature is not a place to visit. It is home." ~ Gary Snyder

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Canadian National Parks

As a steward of Canada's national parks, Parks Canada has a legal obligation to maintain or improve ecological integrity while providing benefits and enjoyment for both present and future generations of Canadians. Parks Canada regularly monitors the state of ecological integrity and publishes the results for each national park every five years. Each ecosystem is assessed for its ecological condition (good, fair, or poor) and the trend in that condition (improving, stable, or declining). Collectively, these assessments provide a basis for understanding the overall ecological integrity of a national park.

Alberta Provincial Parks

Over the past 40 years, the Government of Alberta has been conducting environmental monitoring activities under the Environment Protection and Enhancement Act. As natural resource development activities have increased significantly in that time, particularly within the oil sands region in northern Alberta, the province has recognized the need to strengthen its monitoring, evaluation, and reporting activities, especially in terms of understanding the cumulative effects and impact on the environment. 

The Environmental Monitoring and Science Division is responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on key air, water, land, and biodiversity indicators. An Indigenous Wisdom Advisory Panel has been developed to honour the knowledge held by Indigenous peoples, shared orally across generations over hundreds of years to gain a better understanding of the local environment and traditional territories. In collaboration with Indigenous communities, the provincial government is working to develop strategies that are respectful and representative of traditional approaches to environmental monitoring and sustaining natural resources.

Conservation officers are provincial peace officers who work within Alberta's parks to protect these natural attractions as well as keep visitors safe.