Forests and Biodiversity

Thirty-eight years ago almost to the day, Alberta moved to preserve three great swaths of unspoiled wilderness on the eastern boundaries of the Rocky Mountains.

The Ghost River, White Goat, and Siffleur Wilderness Areas had already been established a decade earlier by the government of Premier Ernest Manning. But it was the government of Premier Peter Lougheed that enshrined their preservation in The Wilderness Areas Amendment Act of 1972, providing in legislation the highest level of protection available in Alberta.

Allan Warrack was Lougheed's minister of lands and forests, and here's how he explained it on Nov. 22, 1972, when he moved third reading of Bill 93, as the Wilderness Areas Amendment Act was known before passed into law:

Read the entire article at the link below.

ALBERTA—A storm is brewing in the Alberta Legislature over a bill critics say will overhaul and even dismantle the classifications designed to protect the province's parkland.

Conservative MLA and Minister of Parks, Recreation and Tourism defends Bill 29, The Alberta Parks Act—which divides nearly 500 sites in the Alberta Park system into two classifications, "provincial parks" and "heritage rangelands"—contending the intent of the new legislation is to protect Alberta's unique ecosystems while ensuring recreation opportunities for Albertans.

"Bill 29, the Alberta Parks Act, reaffirms that parks will remain a key tool in ensuring that our province's unique natural heritage will continue to be protected while also providing Albertans with access to ample outdoor recreation opportunities," said Ady.... Read more »

Albertans have been struggling to understand the reasoning behind Bill 29, the Alberta Parks Act, which is proposing to substantially weaken protection of Alberta's network of provincial parks and protected areas. Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) believes that tar sands development is a key driver for the Government of Alberta to pass Bill 29 as swiftly as possible.

The Alberta government has proposed to establish new undefined Conservation Areas for the Lower Athabasca land‐use region. A weakening of protected areas legislation through Bill 29 would allow the government to call these areas Provincial Parks, which sounds impressive, but then zone them for the intensive depletion and destruction of forests, wetlands and water from oilsands development, thus making them meaningless for wildlife protection.... Read more »