Parks and Protected Areas

why do we have protected areas

means of protecting natural habitats and scenic areas

what are the levels of law that impacts parks and protected areas

• international law (UN conventions)

• federal law (canada national parks act)

• provincial law (e.g., ontario provincial parks and conservation reserves act)

how much of canada’s land is protected

12.8% (1.276 million km2) of canada’s terrestrial area (including both land and freshwater) and 0.90% (91 thousand km2) of its marine territory were recognized as protected

what are some legislations

national parks act 1988

• oceans act

• canada wildlife act

• migratory birds convention act

• species at risk act

what are the four broad types of governance

1. governance by government (gov of canada)

2. shared governance

3. private governance

4. governance by indigenous peoples and local communities

what is governance by government

• 95% of canada’s protected areas are governed by federal, provincial or territorial governments

• federal: parks canada, environment and climate change canada, fisheries and oceans canada

what is shared governance

• refers to collaboration between different levels of government or between at least one government organization

• two new protected areas covering a total of 695km2 on the east side of lake winnipeg - established in 2012, under shared governance agreements between Manitoba and Little grand rapids first nation, and between manitoba and pauingassi first nation as traditional use planning areas 

what is private governance

• private conservation areas make an important contribution to canada’s system of protected areas; often protecting sensitive and significant natural habitat in otherwise developed or converted privately owned landscapes

• 3 provinces currently report a total of approx 140km2 of protected areas under private governance (MB, NB, PEI) (but more in US)

what is governance by indigenous peoples and local communities

• this designation is used for protected areas where the management and authority and responsibility are held by indigenous peoples and/or local communities

• indigenous peoples of canada have contributed to the establishment of tens of thousands of square kilometers of protected areas through modern land claim agreements and treaty negotiation

what are IUCN management categories

• canada uses the international union for conservation of nature’s classification of management categories for protected areas

• these categories help to describe the type of protected areas according to stated management intent

list the IUCN categories

• Ia-strict nature reserve (most amount of restriction, requires a lot of resources)

• Ib-wilderness area

• II- national park

• III-natural monument or feature

• IV-habitat/species management area

• V-protected landscape/seascape

• VI-protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

what is the species at risk act (sara)

designed as a key tool for the conservation and protection of canada’s biological diversity and fulfils an important commitment under the united nations convention on biological diversity

what are the key steps and processes of sara

1. identification of species at risk and assessment

2. listing

3. recovery strategies and action plan (critical habitat designation)

explain step 1 of SARA

identification of species at risk

• the committee on the status of endangered wildlife in canada (cosewic)

• an independent group of experts assesses the status of wildlife species and recommends a classification for their legal protection

what is cosewic’s assessment process based on

rigorous scientific criteria

is cosewic part of the government

no, it’s not part of the federal government, but rather offers the government independent advice based on the best available knowledge

what are the indicators for cosewic

A. decline in total number of mature individuals

B. small distribution range and decline or fluctuation

C. small and declining number of mature individuals

D. very small or restricted total canadian population

E. quantitative analysis

what is the second step of SARA

listing

after receiving a recommendation from cosewic, the government consults with concerned ministers, relevant wildlife management boards and the public to consider many factors, including possible social and economic implications of listing the species

• only assess certain species - has to be listed under sara or else it doesn’t get protected

the gov’t then decides whether to add the species to the list of wildlife species at risk

what happens once a species is listed under the act

the provisions under sara apply to protect and recover the species

the list will continually evolve as species added or removed or their status changes

what happens when a species is listed as endangered or threatened

individuals of that species and their dwellings are automatically protected on federal land

• sara typically applies to only federally management lands, waters and species

what are the basic prohibitions

if a species is included in the legal list in schedule 1 as an endangered, threatened or extirpated species

• you cannot kill, harm or trade the species

• you cannot damage or destroy its ‘residence’

who does the responsibility for protecting wildlife species on lands fall under

species on lands managed by provinces and territories usually falls to the province or territory

what is the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996)

all canadian provinces and territories signed it

• with its accompanying framework for the conservation of species at risk, the accord established a mechanism for cooperation among federal, provincial and territorial governments to ensure that species at risk are protected throughout canada

what is the wildlife and fisheries branch responsible for in manitoba

for the administration of the endangered species and ecosystems act

• similar to sara - aligns with it

what does listing initiate

a two step recovery planning process

what is the first step in the recovery planning process

development of a recovery strategy

• identifies the needs of and threats to the wildlife species, as well as objectives for population and distribution recovery

what must the recovery strategy address

• threat to the survival of species

• a description of the species and its needs

• an identification of the threats to the survival of the species and threats to its habitat

• an identification of the species’ critical habitat

• a statement of the population and distribution objectives

• a statement of when one or more action plans will be completed

what recovery approaches does sara allow besides single species plans

sara permits multi species or ecosystem based recovery approaches when the competent minister determines they are appropriate

what are sara’s deadlines for completing recovery strategies after a species is listed

within 1 year for endangered species and within 2 years for threatened or extirpated species

what is the third step of sara

development of a recovery action plan

• these plans put the strategy into action by specifying concrete recovery measures and evaluating potential socioeconomic impacts of these actions

what must recovery strategies and action plans identify under sara

they must identify critical habitat - habitat essential for a listed species’ survival or recovery - to the extent possible

how is habitat protected under SARA

through two main mechanisms

1. the prohibition against destruction of critical habitat

2. the promotion of stewardship and conservation initiatives through conservation agreements

what does the critical habitat prohibition apply to

applies to listed endangered and listed threatened species

when are listed extirpated species covered

only covered if a recovery strategy has recommended the reintroduction of the species into the wild in canada

when are species of special concern covered

they are not covered