When it comes to nature and wildlife, no province has Alberta beat. From sweeping plains to the towering Rockies, our province is the heart of Canada.
So it might come as a surprise that our province ranks almost dead last in conservation according to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society’s (CPAWS’) “On the Path to 2030” report.
CPAWS’ report isn’t your run-of-the-mill report. It’s a report card that grades Canada and its provinces and territories on their commitment to conservation.
Compared to the 2021 report, six provinces and territories received better grades, three stayed the same, and two declined.
Alberta was among the six provinces to improve, which isn’t too impressive considering we had the lowest possible grade in 2021: a big fat F. Last year, our grade marginally increased to a D-.
If there was a whole house to be built, you wouldn’t congratulate a carpenter for cutting a single 2×4 of lumber, would you? It shouldn’t be any different for our provincial government.
Alberta is one of four laggards in the CPAWS report, right next to Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario. In other words, we aren’t leading the pack., let alone keeping up.
It’s arguably more impressive that our rank has improved so little since 2021.
“Over the last two years, the government of Alberta has added approximately 0.002 percent of Alberta’s land to the protected area list,” wrote a coalition of Alberta conservation groups last year.
According to CPAWS, Alberta has conserved a little over 15 percent, or more than 102,400 square kilometres, of its lands and waters to date.
In comparison, Quebec received an A- for protecting just shy of 17 percent of its lands and over 10 percent of its marine territory. That isn’t that much better than Alberta, so what gives?
When it comes to conservation, Quebec makes a plan, commits to it, and produces results. The same cannot be said for our province.
A Lack of Care
CPAWS claims in its report that Alberta has had many excellent opportunities and public support to protect its natural heritage, but has chosen to prioritize short-term profit-driven resource extraction instead.
The UCP government’s decision to allow coal mining in the eastern slopes of our famed Rockies is just one example of our provincial government’s shortsightedness.
Alberta has shown little to no interest in conservation and, in some instances, has outright opposed it.
“The province also has no active commitment to conservation targets, and has opposed the federal biodiversity strategy and action plan,” wrote CPAWS in its report.
In 2022, Canada was one of 195 other nations to adopt the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets targets to stop or reverse biodiversity loss.
Compared to other provinces that are on board with the Framework, Alberta has dragged and continues to drag its feet when it comes to biodiversity, prioritizing profits over environmental protection.
Whether it’s reopening the eastern slopes to coal exploration or handing oil and gas companies “get out of jail free cards” for well cleanup, the provincial government has made it crystal clear it doesn’t care about biodiversity.
Of the over 800 animal and plant species or populations considered at risk in Canada, almost 120 of them are in Alberta.
Many of these Alberta populations are declining, and at least five species have already been lost. Our caribou could be next.
Caribou populations in Alberta are declining by 50 percent every eight years. Deforestation and habitat loss are two of the biggest threats to caribou.
So why does the Alberta government continue to throw open the door for logging companies? A few weeks ago, the government released its Upper Smoky Sub-Regional Plan.
If approved, it would allow American-owned logging company, Weyerhaeuser, to clear-cut within critical winter habitat of two caribou herds, likely leading to their destruction.
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
What did Alberta do to increase our province’s grade from F to D-? According to CPAWS, “Alberta did minimally increase its provincial parks and undertook public engagement on its Plan for Parks, resulting in a slightly upgraded score.”
Plan for Parks is a 10-year plan focused on sustainably managing and protecting our provincial parks.
Last year, the provincial government added more than 1,400 hectares, or 14 square kilometres, to our park system with two new parks and three expansions.
At the same time, the province delisted 12 smaller provincial recreation areas. It is also worth noting that the UCP government wanted to close 164 parks, and 20 campsites and day-use areas in 2020.
The government cancelled their plan after public outcry. But Alberta isn’t always the best listener, especially when it comes to consulting with our Indigenous communities.
One of the more recent examples of the UCP government’s failure to communicate with our province’s Indigenous peoples is the Greenview Wonder Valley Project.
The estimated $70 billion project is expected to take up 35 square kilometres, including land shared with the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, who weren’t initially consulted about the project.
“We never consented to cede our lands or our territories and the resources. It actually starts to upset you because the government talks about the amount of resources they have, that they’re a rich province,” Sunshine told CTV News.
“Come and take a look at my community. We might be in the province of the Alberta Advantage, but not here,” he continues.
Meanwhile, Quebec spent a year consulting and working closely with First Nations representatives to define a protected area status that aligns with the goals and visions of First Nations.
A D- is a passing grade, but it isn’t worth celebrating. At the current rate, our province is more likely to slip back to an F than it is to climb. You can’t put a price tag on our province’s natural beauty, but that won’t stop the UCP government from trying.
