Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas

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Wildlife in Jeopardy Education Kit Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas Figure 1: grey wolf Although parks and ecological reserves provide protection for some areas of special importance to wildlife,

1 Wildlife in Jeopardy Education Kit Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas Figure 1: grey wolf Although parks and ecological reserves provide protection for some areas of special importance to wildlife, only a small portion of all species can be preserved through these special measures. (From State of Canada s Environment report. 1991) Overview Theme 6 presents a brief history of national and international parks and protected areas. Students will gain a sense of the history of protected areas in Canada, insight into the status of federal and provincial protected areas Thanks to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for funding this online adaptation from FON s Wildlife in Jeopardy Kit. Online adaptation by Hopscotch Interactive Inc. (

2 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 2 (the latter focussing on Ontario), and that protecting natural areas is a process, one in which each individual plays a significant role. At almost 10 million square kilometres, Canada is the second largest country after Russia. Canada sits on a massive central upland, or shield, of granite and other rock (thus the name, Canadian Shield ) surrounded by lowlands and mountains. Bordered by three oceans, the Pacific to the west, the Atlantic to the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north, over 30 million people live here, the majority of whom inhabit the southern portion of the country. There was a time about 15,000 years ago when the last great glaciers began to retreat from southern Canada when Native peoples lived in small numbers in relative harmony with their wilderness environment. With the landing of the Europeans around the seventeenth century, great changes occurred. Today, cities and towns have grown from what were once remote, tiny settlements dotted across Canada s wilderness. A few solitary log cabins of our pioneer ancestors can still be found today. Some of our country s well-known historical characters were deeply influenced by Canada s wilderness: Samuel de Champlain, and Grey Owl to name but two. Many of our country s historical events occurred as a result of people s relationship with wilderness such as the expansion of the fur trade, the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and our country becoming a confederation out of what once were small provinces between mountains, plains, and forests. Many of our artists, musicians, writers, and poets were, and continue to be, shaped by Canada s wilderness. Although this country s topography has strongly influenced our national character, the wilderness is now often a place to go to, to enjoy, rather than a part of day-to-day existence. The forces of nature are still at work, but we are no longer as in touch with them as in the past. What s happening to... For the most part, many people think that park means protected. But because an area is called a park does not automatically mean that it and its inhabitants are protected. As students learned in the previous themes, species move outside of and between ecosystems and, therefore, boundaries that define a park or protected area. For example, some parks and wilderness areas lack legal protection from resource extraction such as logging or mining. It is always possible, too, that the boundaries of parks with a few federal exceptions can be changed by governments, sometimes as easily as with a stroke of a pen. Since 1885, the federal government changed the boundaries of Banff National Park 10 times,

3 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 3 and a portion of Cape Breton Highlands National Park was undesignated in 1958 to allow for hydroelectric development. Park boundaries change less often now. In addition to what may occur inside a park or protected area, human activities outside its boundaries can destroy that park s ecological integrity. Livestock grazing, mining, logging, accommodations for tourists, recreational facilities, and highways and roads threaten species and ecosystems that exist within a protected area. Finally, many protected area boundaries do not and simply cannot include the entire home range of some wildlife species that travel, feed, or den in or around these areas. Let s get historical The world s first national park, Yellowstone National Park, was established in 1872 in the United States. Shortly afterward, in 1879 in New South Wales, Australia, the Royal National Park was established. Smaller parks had been designed earlier in some of the large cities, such as Central Park in New York (1857), Mount Royal Park in Montreal (1872), and High Park in Toronto (1873). Vancouver s Stanley Park was created in In 1885, the first Canadian National Park was established in Banff, Alberta. Ontario s first park, Niagara Falls, was created in 1887, followed by Algonquin Provincial Park in 1893 and Rondeau Provincial Park in Over a period of 44 years (between 1885 and 1929) 15 national parks were set up in Canada. Interestingly, Canada s National Parks Service was not created until At the time, most of these parks were established to provide opportunities for human recreation and enjoyment. The fact that they, over the longer term, ended up protecting some wilderness ecosystems, and therefore some species of flora and fauna, was almost incidental. In 1962, the World Conservation Union (called the IUCN began focusing international attention on nature conservation, and was instrumental in drafting the World Heritage Convention and the World Charter for Nature. Today, the IUCN lists over 3,500 protected areas in more than 125 countries. Of these, more than 1,000 are national parks; the rest are scientific reserves, landmarks, game reserves, and protected landscapes. Canada signed onto the World Heritage Convention in 1976, joining forces with over 100 other countries committed to helping each other protect important sites. Currently, Canada has 12 World Heritage Sites: ˆ Nahanni National Park Reserve ˆ L Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site

4 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 4 ˆ SGaang Gwaii (part of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve) ˆ Kluane National Park Reserve and Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park ˆ Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park ˆ Wood Buffalo National Park ˆ Dinosaur Provincial Park ˆ Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Provincial Historic Site ˆ Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks ˆ Historic District of Quebec ˆ Gros Morne National Park ˆ Old Town Lunenburg. These precious areas join other well-known, international world wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Grand Canyon, the Pyramids of Giza, and the Taj Mahal! What s happening for... Canada is still a country with relatively vast wildlands, unlike Europe, for example, whose wildlands have, for the most part, vanished. They cannot do what we still can: protect true wilderness areas. Reasons for protecting wilderness areas are many: tourism, protection of historic, cultural and spiritually important areas, scientific research, education, health, and recreation. Another reason is the protection of biological diversity, which requires that, as much as possible, whole ecosystems be in some way protected. This can require protecting huge areas. But protected areas are subject to many pressures: demands to allow resource extraction (such as mining, logging, hydro development), hunting, motorized access, development of resorts, interpretation centres, training and conference facilities, condominiums and golf courses, to name but a few. In order to take an ecosystem approach to protecting wilderness areas, governments and NGOs have identified the natural regions that make up this country. As a result, 486 natural regions, or eco-types, have been defined. Within many of those natural regions, there are also cities and towns, railways and highways, and resource extraction resulting in the destruction of the natural features in some of them. It is no longer possible to protect

5 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 5 one area in each of Canada s 486 natural regions, but it can still be done in many. Governments and NGOs are working with groups, clubs, individuals and private landowners to try to protect as many areas as possible, as soon as possible. International An example of an international protection program is Ontario s Niagara Escarpment, which became a World Biosphere Reserve in 1990 even though it runs through Canada s most populated area. The 725 kilometres of scenic, rocky ridgeland winds from Queenston near Niagara Falls to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. Formed 450 million years ago along the shore of what was then a shallow tropical sea, the Niagara Escarpment today is vital habitat for over 300 species of birds, 51 mammal species, 34 species of reptiles and amphibians, and over 1,700 plant species, including the greatest concentration of ferns in Canada. Eastern white cedars growing in the escarpment s cliff face are up to 1,000 years old! The escarpment is also home to 23 of Ontario s species at risk, including the West Virginia white butterfly, red shouldered hawk, spotted turtle, eastern bluebird and the eastern Massasauga rattlesnake. Another example of an international protection program is Antarctica, which was designated a global wilderness preserve on January 14, It took over 15 years of lobbying by environment groups to convince Japan to become the final party to the international agreement. The agreement bans mining and oil drilling for 50 years and forbids a wide range of environmental hazards, including pesticides and even sled dogs (because they kill penguins and other native birds). National At the national level, protection of natural areas includes creating national parks under the National Parks Act. Today, efforts to establish new national parks are concentrated on those natural regions where there is no national park. (Parks Canada has identified 39 natural regions across the country for the purposes identifying terrestrial national parks). Currently, 17 more national parks are needed to complete the national parks system. The creation of a national park must also be agreed to by the province or territory involved. Currently, the national parks system encompasses about 224,466 km 2 or about two percent of Canada s land mass. When it is complete it will cover just over three percent. Ontario has six national parks: Georgian Bay Islands, Point Pelee, St. Lawrence Islands, Pukaskaw, Bruce Peninsula, and Fathom Five, totalling 190,000 hectares.

6 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 6 Provincial In Ontario, the Provincial Parks Act was passed in 1954 and the Parks Branch, as it was then called, was established. During the 1950s and 1960s, nearly 100 parks were established and, up to the mid-70s, over 600 sites were identified for some form of protection. In 1967, five classes of provincial park were created: primitive, nature reserve, wild river, natural environment, and recreation park. Each class of park could be zoned for different uses. (See Classes of Ontario Parks, below) Later, in the late 1970s, two documents, the Ontario Provincial Parks Policy and the Ontario Provincial Parks: Planning and Management Policies outlined the goals, objectives, and classes for Ontario parks that are still in use today, The grey book, as it is known today sets standards regarding policies, management, uses, activities, and facilities that are allowed within provincial parks. Within this, depending on the natural features of the area, one of six classes of park will be assigned (wilderness, nature reserve, natural environment, waterway, historic, and recreation). Parks are further divided into zones to provide guidelines for suitable activities. Every provincial park must have its own management plan, which is where public input becomes crucial. As of 2000, Ontario s provincial parks system is comprised of 331 parks covering just over 7.2 million hectares. In addition to provincial parks, Ontario has 305 conservation reserves, which encompass 1.6 million hectares. (These figures include the 378 new parks and conservation reserves 2.4

7 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 7 million hectares garnered in 1999.) The list below describes some legislation relevant to establishing and managing protected areas in Ontario and which can affect species at risk. For further information, see the Environment Canada Web site ( for Federal Acts online, and for on-line access to Ontario s legislation, see the Management Board Secreteriat section of the Ontario Government site ( Conservation Authorities Act In Ontario, this Act provides for the creation of a conservation authority on major watersheds in the province. Each conservation area is then responsible for developing and implementing plans to control erosion and flooding in the watershed, valley, and lands. Conservation Lands Act provides incentive through tax relief to landowners with ANSIs on their properties. Environmental Assessment Act The purpose of the EAA is the betterment of the people...by providing for the protection, conservation and wise management in Ontario of the environment. Environmental Bill of Rights (1993) serves to protect, conserve, and restore the integrity of the environment; provide for sustainability of the environment; and to protect the right to a healthful environment. These purposes allow for public input into actions taken by the government of Ontario that affects the environment. Environmental Protection Act (1990) provides for the protection and conservation of the natural environment. Forestry Act enables MNR to regulate forestry and define other allowable activities within the forests (e.g. road building, cutting techniques). Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (1990) provides for the maintenance of the Niagara Escarpment as a continuous natural environment, and ensures that any development there is compatible with the natural environment. Provincial Parks Act promotes and regulates the designation, protection, and development of the province s parks, intended to protect fine examples of biological, historical and recreational resources. Public Lands Act includes lands designated as Crown lands (e.g., forests), school, and clergy lands, and allows for the management, sale, and disposition of the such lands.

8 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 8 Water Resources and Environmental Protection Act allows the provincial government to regulate levels of pollutants released into water courses. Wilderness Areas Act (1990) allows for the acquisition of wilderness areas for protection, preservation, education, and regulation. Classes of Ontario parks Wilderness These are areas of substantial size where the forces of nature are permitted to function freely. Visitors travel by non-motorized means and experience expansive solitude, and the challenges nature presents as well as personal integration with nature. The grey book states that such parks cannot be established in the southernmost areas of Ontario. Sport hunting is prohibited; low-intensity fishing is permitted. Fires (to a point) and other natural disturbances will not be controlled; motorized vehicles are not allowed; human access is regulated. There are eight wilderness parks in Ontario, including Polar Bear Provincial Park, one of the world s largest parks at 2.4 million hectares, which protects vital habitats of loons, snow geese, willow ptarmigan, Arctic fox, and, of course, polar bears. Other wilderness parks are Wabakimi, Killarney, and Quetico. Educator s note: For more detail on this topic, contact the FON for a copy of Citizen s Guide to Provincial Park Planning in Ontario. Nature Reserve Nature reserves are areas that represent the distinctive natural habitats and land formations of the province. They are protected for educational purposes and as gene pools for research. Waterways in nature reserves are not controlled, organisms are not to be interfered with unless it is to remove non-native species, hunting is not permitted, fishing is permitted unless the nature reserve is a fish sanctuary, and motorized vehicles and commercial facilities are banned. There are over 100 nature reserves in Ontario. In addition, there are about 232 nature reserve zones in provincial parks throughout the province. Nature reserves are regulated under the Provincial Parks Act.

9 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 9 Natural Environment This class of park incorporates outstanding landscapes with representative natural features and historic resources, allowing for both educational and recreational use. An example of this type of park is Algonquin Provincial Park. Permitted uses are determined by zoning within the natural environment park. Generally, commercial forestry is not permitted, with the exception of Algonquin Park s recreation-utilization zone. Waterways may be controlled, but not in wilderness zones; motorized vehicles are only permitted in development and access zones, motorboats in natural environment zones on designated lakes, and snowmobiles on designated trails and road allowances; developing facilities for recreation and interpretation is allowed. Waterway With criteria similar to natural environment parks, this class of park applies to water routes, especially those rich in cultural history because of their use, for example by explorers, fur traders, or those who settled the province. Waterway parks include a 200-metre strip of land adjacent to the waterway, and nodes of land away from the river that are considered significant features. Crossings of waterway parks by roads and railways are kept to a minimum; controlling the water depends on the zoning within the park; sport fishing is allowed and restocking of native fish species may occur in some zones; hunting may be allowed in some zones; motorized vehicles are only permitted in development and access zones, except motorboats and snowmobiles, which may be permitted in appropriate zones; visitor services and facilities are restricted to information and navigational hazards. Historic Historic parks provide the public with opportunities for education, research, and interpretative services. Thirteen primary themes determine a historical park (e.g., mining, forestry, indigenous settlers, fur trade), which are then subdivided into 115 sub-themes. Many of the themes are represented in portions of parks, or zones in other protected areas. Within this class of park, waterways will only be controlled if they threaten the historical features; hunting and fishing is determined by zoning, as is the use of motorized vehicles (except in the case of historical vehicles which may be operated by MNR in nature reserve zones). Ontario s historic parks include Petroglyphs, Michipicoten, and Serpent

10 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 10 Mounds. Recreation Recreation parks support a wide variety of recreational opportunities for people. These are natural areas where people go primarily to hike and camp. Waterways may be controlled in development zones; sport fishing is encouraged and hunting may be permitted in natural environment zones; wildlife viewing opportunities are encouraged; and a wide variety of yearround camping, hiking and supporting facilities are allowed, especially in development and access zones. Recreation parks in Ontario include Ferris, Mara, Sharbot Lake, and Wasaga Beach. Conservation Authority Lands There are 38 conservation authorities in Ontario, each responsible for the natural elements within its boundaries. There are about 314 sites labelled as conservation authority lands, with multiple sites under a single CA. A significant portion of the work that CAs undertake deals with flood prevention and erosion control to prevent habitat loss (especially loss of human habitat). In this regard, many CAs still help private landowners control erosion by planting vegetation, seeding riverbanks, or grading slopes. Through erosion prevention, the nutrient-rich topsoil is preserved and water quality is protected by reducing the amount of suspended soil particles in the water. By planting vegetation, CAs also beautify the landscape and improve wildlife habitat. In addition, some CAs are involved in wetlands protection. For example, the Kawartha Region CA and the Essex Region CA developed conservation regulations for wetland areas they acquired thus contributing to the conservation of biodiversity, and valuable species at risk habitats. Unfortunately, as a result of provincial cutbacks in the mid-nineties, many CAs had to cut programs such as public education programs to help people understand the importance of flood and erosion control and even sell off CA lands for much needed revenue. Other Finally, there are other types of natural heritage areas in Ontario including provincial wildlife areas, game preserves, wilderness areas, fish sanctuaries, conservation reserves, and private conservation lands. Private conservation lands are those areas some of which have already been discussed in previous

11 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 11 themes that landowners either manage for biodiversity and wildlife or have donated to NGOs. In Ontario, there are over 6,000 private owners of 80,900 hectares of wetlands, Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSIs), escarpment natural areas and private nature reserves. Private landowners who maintain lands for these conservation purposes receive tax incentives in the way of property tax reductions. For up-to-date information on these protected areas, contact the FON or your local MNR office. What you can do! Be alert to what is happening in your parks, federal and provincial. See the blue pages of your telephone book to contact your government representatives and/or local government offices. This can be a great way to find out what is planned, or not planned, and have your voice heard where it counts! Take a trip to a local natural area. Become familiar with nearby protected areas by contacting the FON for a copy of A Nature Guide to Ontario and Ontario s Nature Map or your local nature centre, naturalist club or group. Ask about trips and tours. Clean up litter (plastic bags, cigarette boxes, pop or beer cans, and the like) whether it s along a roadside ditch (a mini-wetland for some species!), a recreation or wilderness park, or crown land. Be sure to carry out any garbage you carry in when camping or hiking. Avoid sensitive wildlife habitat areas if you ride an ATV or mountain bike. Obey zoning regulations in protected areas they re zoned for a reason. Careless driving of recreational vehicles can easily destroy marshes and bogs, streamsides, and grasslands. Many species depend on these habitats to feed and breed. Amphibians, birds, fungi, and fish may not be able to find alternative habitat if theirs is disturbed. Grow native plants (flowers, shrubs, trees) at your school or home, to attract birds and insects, and to stabilize the soil in areas that are exposed to wind and water erosion. For more information, visit the Resources section of the FON Web site ( Build bird houses, bat houses, birdfeeders and birdbaths you ll attract more species with feeders and houses in your naturalized plant area. The bats will help reduce the number of insects. Contact the FON for plans and suggestions.

12 Theme 6: Parks and Protected Areas 12 As a class develop and participate in a conservation day or environment week event at your school or a local public area (e.g. shopping centre). Research and create a display of a habitat (or habitats) that may be in jeopardy in your community, and help raise public awareness and support for its protection. Make a brochure, put out a press release, or create a web page (this saves paper too!) announcing your project. Many government agencies and environmental organizations even have bulletin boards and newsletters where you can post environmental events.

Hudson Bay Lowlands Proposed Protected Areas

Hudson Bay Lowlands Proposed Protected Areas Hudson Bay Lowlands Proposed Protected Areas The Protected Areas Initiative has identified portions of the Hudson Bay Lowlands region that have significant