The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

The Protected Landscape Approach: Linking Nature, Culture and Community
Box 2. Beaver Hills Ecosystem: Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Grazing, Wildlife
and Provincial Recreation Area
Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Grazing, Wildlife and Provincial Recreation Area (hereafter referred to as
Blackfoot Recreation Area) covers 97km 2 of the Beaver Hills ecosystem and is listed as a Category V
area on the UN List of Protected Areas. Integrated management of the area accommodates cattle
grazing on 2,875ha, as well as wildlife management, trapping, hunting, industrial activity associated
with natural gas wells, and a wide range of summer and winter recreation. Aboriginal hunting also
occurs within the area.
Although the Parks and Protected Areas Division of Alberta Community Development has
overall management responsibility, cooperation with partners and stakeholders is extremely im -
portant. Many of the concerns arising from conflicts between the various interests were successfully
addressed during the development of the current management plan (Alberta Environmental
Protection, 1997). A committee representing a cross section of community groups and stakeholders
(referred to as CORE) identified issues and made recommendations for resolving concerns. Friends
of Blackfoot, a not-for-profit society that was established as a direct outcome of the CORE process,
has been instrumental in delivering the management plan and providing an important mechanism for
two-way communication between user groups and Provincial Recreation Area staff.
The Blackfoot Recreation Area provides an innovative example of integrated-use management
within the Alberta Parks and Protected Areas system. This experience demonstrates the applicability
of the Category V approach to protecting representative biodiversity within a region that is
experiencing significant land-use pressures and escalating demands for outdoor recreation. At the
same time, the Blackfoot Area makes an important contribution to the local ranching economy. The
overall success of this Category V area is largely dependent on approval of the management plan that
resulted from a transparent, multi-stakeholder planning process and its commitment to sustainable
land-use practices (Swinnerton and Buggey, 2004).
the Beaver Hills ecosystem has been advocated for a number of years (Burak and Swinnerton,
1998; Kwasniak, 1997), with Parks Canada staff at Elk Island National Park taking the initial
lead because of their concern over external threats to the park’s ecological integrity. Of parallel
importance was a commitment to cooperate across management boundaries, partnering with
local people and other stakeholders in seeking joint action to ensure the socio-economic
viability and quality of life of local communities within the natural capacity of the Beaver Hills
landscape (Swinnerton and Otway, 2003).
The Beaver Hills Initiative, formalized in September 2002, was precipitated by the recent
rapid growth and associated land use change within the Edmonton region. This initiative,
created a coordinating committee with representatives from the five local municipal govern -
ments, both federal and provincial governments, and non-government associations that re -
present industry and environmental interests. Their stated mission is to work for a sustainable
region through shared initiatives and coordinated action. The Beaver Hills Initiative’s vision
statement values the region’s natural beauty and quality of life, and supports cooperative efforts
to sustain water, land, air, natural resources, and community development.
Although the region is not formally recognised as a Protected Landscape by IUCN, the
Beaver Hills Initiative exhibits a number of the principles and concepts inherent in the
management of Category V areas (Swinnerton, 2003; Swinnerton and Otway, 2003). The
process used to date is inclusive and characterized by collaboration and partnership. This
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