Chapter 15- Protected Areas Flashcards
Purpose of protected spaces
- sustaining habitat in wild spaces
- anticipate and protect in advance
- land aside and put a boundary on it
- protected parks are all over the world
Modern era of Protected areas
- Yellowstone national park- first national park
- established in 1872
- sets off new era of understanding connection
- people can come visit
Canada’s First Protected Park
1885- Rocky Mountain National Park aka Banff
- created due to railroad trying to unify the country before US took parts of Canada
- Used hot springs as an attraction and a way to raise money to finish the railroad
- marketing tool
What is a protected area?
- municipal
- provincial
- national- Parks Canada
- national- wildlife
Protected area
an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity and of natural and associated cultural resources and managed through legal or other effective means
Types of Protected Areas (IUCN)
- Nature reserve or Wilderness area- most protected, scientific research/ecological monitoring
- National Park- ecosystem protection and recreation
- Natural Monument- outstanding natural/cultural feature ex) hoodoos
- Habitat/Species Management Area- habitats for particular species
- Protected landscape/seascape
- Managed resource protected area- natural values and sustainable use (natural harvest)
Functions and Values of Protected Areas
- habitat protection
- tourist destination/economic value
- help people care about the enviro
- create relationships with environment
- support local and national economies
- species/biodiversity protection
- conservation effort
- fortress for invasive species
- conserving natural habitat
- natural values and sustainable use
- insurance for sensitive species
- cultural & historical sites
- natural experiences(swim, hike, backpack)
- science & monitoring
- aesthetics & natural beauty
- watershed protection via forest
1987 Bruntland Commission Report
-goal of 12-40% of land as a protected area
world=13%
North America=13-14%
Canada=10% (also have a lot of undeveloped unprotected land)
Alberta=12.5% (1st province to have a wetland policy)
% of protected parks
terrestrial=60%
marine=less than 10%
have only 4 national marine protected areas by Parks Canada
Number of Protected Areas
has been increasing exponentially since bruntland report in 1987
International Designations
- UNESCO World Heritage Site- natural or cultural places with outstanding universal value (Dinosaur Provincial Park, AB)
- UNESCO Biosphere Reserve- examples of balanced relationship between humans and environment eg) Waterton Lakes National Park
3) Ramsar sites- wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar COnvention ex) Beaver Hill Lake
Barriers of Establishing A Protected Area
- private land ownership
- unsupportive public
- money
- existing development
- oil/gas
Province with largest % protected area
BC- 14.1%
Province with lowest % protected area
New Brunswick- 3.3% why? lots of private land ownership, smaller land mass
Federal Protected Areas
less than 10% of Canada is formally designated as protected (2 new ones in last couple years)