Ontario's Natural Heritage Areas - Ministry of Natural Resources

In this context, some National Parks are preparing
greater park ecosystem plans (Roszell, 1996).
In 1998, the Government of Canada appointed
the Panel on the Ecological Integrity of Canada’s
National Parks to recommend how best to ensure
that ecological integrity is maintained across the
system of National Parks. The Panel reported that a
number of natural values in Canada’s National Parks
are in jeopardy, and provided 127 recommendations
to help Parks Canada reverse the trend (Parks
Canada Agency, 2000a, b). In response, Parks Canada
embarked upon a nation-wide consultation process
and completed an action plan to address the Panel’s
recommendations. The action plan focused on:
• Making ecological integrity central in legislation
and policy.
• Building partnerships for ecological integrity.
• Planning for ecological integrity.
• Renewing Parks Canada to support the
ecological integrity mandate (Parks Canada
2001a:3).
Legislation and Policy Basis
The National Parks Act governs the establishment
and management of National Parks. The most
current version of this Act strengthens the ecological
integrity clause. In fact, ‘ecological integrity’ is the
cornerstone of management programs implemented
under the National Parks Act, which states that
“maintenance or restoration of ecological integrity,
through the protection of natural resources and natural
processes shall be the first priority of the Minister
when considering all aspects of the management of
parks” (Parks Canada, 2001a:5). Ecological integrity
is defined as a “condition that is determined to be
characteristic of its natural region and likely to persist,
including abiotic components and the composition
and abundance of native species and biological
communities, rates of change and supporting
processes” (Parks Canada, 2001a:5).
Where new National Parks are established in
conjunction with the settlement of land claims of
Aboriginal peoples, final boundaries of the park as
well as harvesting rights and involvement of Aboriginal
peoples in park planning and management are
proposed in legislation according to the terms of the
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Image by P.A. Gray
land claim agreement. In the interim, the area may
be set aside as a National Park Reserve under the
National Parks Act and traditional hunting, fishing,
and trapping activities by Aboriginal peoples are
permitted to continue. Other interim measures also
may include local Aboriginal peoples’ involvement in
National Park Reserve management (Parks Canada,
1994:29). In addition to natural features, many National
Parks contain areas that have cultural and historical
significance. These areas are managed according
to the Cultural Resource Management Policy (Parks
Canada, 1994:24).
Protection Goal and/or Objectives
Maintenance of ecological integrity is the overriding
goal of the National Parks program. Achievement of
this goal requires that Parks Canada work closely with
industry, non-government organizations, individuals,
and other government agencies in support of
ecosystem management programs that extend
beyond park boundaries. The primary objective of
the National Parks program is “to protect for all time,
representative natural areas of Canadian significance
in a system of national parks, and to encourage public
understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of this
natural heritage so as to leave it unimpaired for future
generations” (Parks Canada, 1994:25). National Parks
also contribute to other goals of the Government of
Canada, including efforts designed to:
• Preserve the integrity, health, and biodiversity of
Arctic ecosystems.
• Strengthen and build environmental relationships.
• Provide timely, accurate, and accessible
information to enable Canadians to make
environmentally sensitive decisions.
• Help develop an environmentally literate society.
• Strengthen environmental science with special
emphasis on understanding regional ecosystems.
• Ensure that all operations and procedures meet
or exceed national targets for sustaining the
environment (Parks Canada, 1994:25).