Section 4: Some Ecosystems Require Protection

Key Ideas   Unit Checklist

  Unit A: Section 4 – Introduction

Figure A.S.4.1 – Alberta’s wilderness is a backpacker’s dream.
Figure A.S.4.2 – What a reward after a steep hike up an alpine valley!

Protect What You Love!

Alberta is blessed with natural treasure. Few places remain in the world where one can walk through pristine ecosystems untouched by human activity.

However, industry, housing, farming, and other human activities affect ecosystems. For this reason, approximately 12.5% of Alberta is protected from human development.
Figure A.S.4.3 – A majestic grizzly bear is at home in its natural habitat.

  Words to Think About:

Check out the word cloud below. It pictures the important words that you are going to learn in this section. Watch for these words, and combinations of these words, as you read. When you see them highlighted, you can click on them to learn more about what the word means. You can also visit the course glossary and read definitions for all of these words.

Lessons in This Section

Lesson A11: How Humans Damage Ecosystems
Key Question – What are the effects of pollution and exploitation on ecosystems?

Lesson A12:  How Humans Harm Other Species
Key Question – What are the meanings of threatened, endangered, and extinct?

Lesson A13:  Ecological Footprints
Key Question – What is an ecological footprint, and how can it be minimized?
Reading and Materials for This Section

Science in Action 7
Reading: Pages 66–79

Materials Lists for Unit:

Lesson A14:  Sustainable Ecosystems
Key Question – How can science, common sense, and conservation protect and restore ecosystems?

Lesson A15:  Alberta Parks
Key Question – What roles do Alberta’s provincial and national parks have in ecosystem education and conservation?

What Ecosystems Do We Protect in Alberta?

Alberta has many protected areas. You have probably heard of some of them, such as Jasper National Park. However, most of us have never heard of the White Goat Wilderness Area in the Rocky Mountains.

Various rules are applied in various kinds of protected areas.

In the White Goat Wilderness Area, all development is forbidden. No roads, pipelines, buildings, or campgrounds are allowed. Only travel by foot is permitted. No one can hunt or fish. This kind of area has the most strict form of government protection in Canada. Areas such as this are not intended to be used by humans. If you hike through here, you must pack out all your garbage. You cannot have any fires. You must bury all your waste. You must leave the area in exactly the same condition you found it. These precautions preserve the ecosystem. Few people know about the White Goat Wilderness Area for a good reason.

Figure A.S.4.4 – White Goat Wilderness Area has very strict protection from the Alberta government.

By respecting nature here, you are rewarded with spectacular views of rugged alpine valleys. You might spot moose, wapiti, mule deer, bears, wolves, bighorn sheep, marmots, and horned larks -- just to name a few species.

In summer, the alpine meadows brim with vibrant wildflowers. This ecosystem is a national treasure. Enjoying White Goat Wilderness Area is not easy. You must be an experienced backpacker, and you must be willing to adhere to strict environmental rules.

In Jasper National Park, the rules are different. This park is intended to be used and enjoyed by many people. Canadian and international tourists travel to Jasper Park every year to ski, hike, fish, kayak, dog sled, and camp. Most visitors look forward to glimpses of the abundant wildlife. The town of Jasper offers overnight accommodation, restaurants, and shopping. It provides housing, services, and infrastructure for people who work here. Extensive trails await walkers, snowshoers, and skiers, and beautiful natural sights are available to all.
Figure A.S.4.5 – Camping in Jasper, Banff, Waterton, or other parks is a yearly vacation for many Albertans.

All visitors produce garbage and waste. Continuous foot and vehicle traffic occurs through the park. Motorized boats and off-road vehicles frighten wildlife. Human activity interferes with the movements and migration of wild animals. Feeding wildlife changes their behaviour and makes them vulnerable. Real estate and recreational areas consume their natural habitats.


Figure A.S.4.6 – Alberta is full of amazing outdoor activities 365 days every year.
Alpine and subalpine plant life grows very slowly here. Soils are thin, rocky, and nutrient-poor. Animals face the stress of extreme seasonal change. Life here hangs in a delicate balance. What makes this ecosystem beautiful also makes it vulnerable to human impact. The continuous battle in Jasper National Park is between the need of development and the need to protect the environment. It is possible to love an ecosystem to death.

Yet here, humans are offered rare glimpses of Canada’s natural beauty. Visitors are encouraged to develop their appreciation for the organisms that live here. When people  experience the wonder of nature, ecologists hope their behaviour will change. Perhaps when those people go home, they will want to protect the ecosystem where they live.

How do we use and enjoy the abundant natural wilderness of Alberta and protect it? The difficulty is to choose which areas to protect and how to protect them. We all hope that our great-grandchildren someday will enjoy the same natural splendors we enjoy.

Humans need ecosystems to live. We need the abiotic and biotic resources that ecosystems provide. Yet, we are also the cause of stress and damage to ecosystems. To balance the needs of people with the needs of ecosystems is difficult. As you will learn in this section, humans can be powerful agents for the protection of ecosystems.