Parks Canada is one organization amongst others in Canada focused on conservation, adaptation and ensuring resilience.  Parks Canada, the world’s first national park service was founded in May of 1911 and welcomes over 25 million domestic and foreign visitors a year.  These places capture the hearts and minds of visitors, building memories and connections to nature that endure generations.  They are more than areas for conservation, they support $4.2 billion dollars annually in GDP as key tourism drivers and provide $372 billion dollars a year in ecosystems services like fresh drinking water.  Protected areas provide multi-societal benefits supporting action across several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

The management of protected areas takes into consideration many factors as often outlined by their legislative frameworks, in the case of Parks Canada by the Canada National Parks Act, and the Canada National Marine Conservations Area Act being two key pieces of legislation.  Additionally international agreements can influence how jurisdictions look at land conservation.  In 2022 world leaders signed the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that outlines 23 targets for action.  Target 3, to conserve 30% of lands, waters and seas is key, and significant in its scope in terms of highlighting key elements of what protected areas should look like.  The Target outlines that lands contributing to this target should be “ … effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories..”. 1

Another important Law came into force in Canada in June 2021, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act2, and with it, the requirement to develop an action plan to implement this law.  The UN Declaration, and the Act that followed in Canada can influence protected areas establishment and management globally, and for organizations like Parks Canada. 

The Parks Canada Agency Act preamble notes it is in the national interest to maintain or restore the ecological integrity of national parks and ensure ecological sustainable use of national marine conservation areas3.  Maintaining these places can be challenging in the face of changes like warming climates, highlighting the importance of healthy, functioning ecosystems which are better able to respond to stress.  The evidence we use to support decision making regarding conservation actions on the lands Parks Canada administers is being strengthened as we learn how to better braid Indigenous knowledge, with evidence from our ecological monitoring program, and other western science.  While we have seen improvements in some ecosystems, others are under threat4.  We are continually looking at how to strengthen management practices and work with partners to support stronger ecosystem resilience and support Canada’s international commitments.  In this regard three key areas are shaping the work of Parks Canada.  

Indigenous Leadership

In 2018, the Indigenous Circle of Experts released their report We Rise Together – Achieving Pathway to Canada Target 1 through the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in the spirit and practice of reconciliation5.  The Report outlined 28 recommendations including a focus on stewardship, the role of guardians, cross-boundary collaboration and more.  In addition, as part of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the UN Declaration Act (UNDA) Action Plan6 has five measures Parks Canada has a leadership role to implement aimed at recognizing and enabling Indigenous peoples’ rights and responsibilities in stewarding lands, water and ice within their traditional territories, treaty lands and ancestral homelands. The We Rise Together Report, the UNDA Action Plan, and the knowledge shared by the over 300 Indigenous communities Parks Canada has relationships with, has supported development of a new policy for the Agency that defines our shared goals toward Indigenous stewardship in protected areas administered by Parks Canada7.  Founded on relationships, acknowledgements, and learning and understanding, the Agency is committed to shared governance, facilitating cultural continuity, economic opportunities, and braiding Indigenous knowledge systems into decision making.  This policy is already being implemented in many ways, including in how Parks Canada works on new protected areas, in full collaboration with Indigenous partners, and leading to new models of shared governance.

Connecting protected areas.

Climate change, changing land uses and other human causes are some of the reasons species habitats are shifting and isolated protected areas will not likely halt the loss of biodiversity.  Parks Canada, working with partners, identified national criteria for ecological corridors and created a map of priority areas across Canada8.  Some of these areas overlap with existing recognized corridors like Yellowstone to Yukon, and some highlight less recognized areas, and areas that will require restoration to function as a healthy corridor.  The criteria and maps, and the data behind them, are available for anyone’s use.  Action at all landscape scales is needed to build more resilient landscapes, and by creating science-based tools that all levels of government, not-for-profits, and anyone interested can use, an important program goal to inspire action can be achieved.  

Urban conservation.

In 2015 the Rouge National Urban Park was created.  A jewel on the edge of Canada’s largest urban centre.  Recognizing over 80% of Canadians live in urban spaces, and biodiversity in southern Canada is rich and in need of protection, Parks Canada’s National Urban Parks program is focused on working in collaboration with multiple jurisdictions to designate new parks and manage them into the future with shared governance, flexible to the uniqueness of each place.  The pillars of the program focus in three areas 1) conservation, 2) connecting Canadians to nature and the culture of urban spaces, and 3) supporting reconciliation with Indigenous communities9.  Access to nature is good for us and this is being borne out by the adoption of PaRx – Parks Prescriptions, across many jurisdictions10.   Nature supports our mental and physical health building our own personal resilience.    

What are some important themes that are emerging as we look at enhancing conservation, adaptation and resilience in Canada as evidenced by Parks Canada?  Indigenous leadership is key, and organizations like Parks Canada are continuing to learn how to do better.  Sharing leadership with all levels of government and others with an interest in conservation will accelerate conservation gains.  If we are going to succeed, conservation also need to happen in the spaces and landscapes, we may have previously thought were too complex to work in.  These areas also tend to be where people are, and where people need hope to combat things like ecological grief.  Accessing nature close to home, knowing it is there, and perhaps even participating in its conservation is good for our physical and mental health.  As an organization that has been around for 113 years Parks will need to continue to evolve to face the challenges ahead.  We can also continue to learn from, and influence others towards global action.  

1. https://prod.drupal.www.infra.cbd.int/sites/default/files/2022-12/221222-CBD-PressRelease-COP15-Final.pdf?_gl=1*1dk5c36*_ga*NTI1NjA1MDk1LjE3MTA1MTE1MDQ.*_ga_7S1TPRE7F5*MTcyNjY4MzkzNy4xMC4xLjE3MjY2ODM5NTMuNDQuMC4w
2. https://www.laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/u-2.2/page-1.html
3. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-0.4/index.html
4. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/P-0.4/index.html, page 10
5. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/pc/R62-548-2018-eng.pdf
6. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/ap-pa/ah/pdf/unda-action-plan-digital-eng.pdf
7. https://parks.canada.ca/agence-agency/aa-ia/politique-policy
8. https://parks.canada.ca/nature/science/conservation/corridors-ecologiques-ecological-corridors/prioritaires-priorities
9. https://parks.canada.ca/pun-nup/politique-policy
10. https://www.parkprescriptions.ca/