CANADIAN PARKS and PROTECTED AREAS: Helping Canada Weather Climate Change
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CANADIAN PARKS AND PROTECTED AREAS: Helping Canada weather climate change Report of the Canadian Parks Council Climate Change Working Group Report prepared by The Canadian Parks Council Climate Change Working Group for the Canadian Parks Council Citation: Canadian Parks Council Climate Change Working Group. 2013. Canadian Parks and Protected Areas: Helping Canada Weather Climate Change. Parks Canada Agency on behalf of the Canadian Parks Council. 52 pp. CPC Climate Change Working Group members Karen Keenleyside (Chair), Parks Canada Linda Burr (Consultant), Working Group Coordinator Tory Stevens and Eva Riccius, BC Parks Cameron Eckert, Yukon Parks Jessica Elliott, Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship Melanie Percy and Peter Weclaw, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation Rob Wright, Saskatchewan Tourism and Parks Karen Hartley, Ontario Parks Alain Hébert and Patrick Graillon, Société des établissements de plein air du Québec Rob Cameron, Nova Scotia Environment, Protected Areas Doug Oliver, Nova Scotia Natural Resources Jeri Graham and Tina Leonard, Newfoundland and Labrador Parks and Natural Areas Christopher Lemieux, Canadian Council on Ecological Areas Mary Rothfels, Fisheries and Oceans Canada Olaf Jensen and Jean-François Gobeil, Environment Canada Acknowledgements The CPC Climate Change Working Group would like to thank the following people for their help and advice in preparing this report: John Good (CPC Executive Director); Sheldon Kowalchuk, Albert Van Dijk, Hélène Robichaud, Diane Wilson, Virginia Sheehan, Erika Laanela, Doug Yurick, Francine Mercier, Marlow Pellat, Catherine Dumouchel, Donald McLennan, John Wilmshurst, Cynthia Ball, Marie-Josée Laberge, Julie Lefebvre, Jeff Pender, Stephen Woodley, Mikailou Sy (Parks Canada); Paul Gray (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources); Art Lynds (Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources). Report design and layout by Alison Scott Design Cover photo: Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ontario © Ontario Parks © 2013 Parks Canada Agency on behalf of the Canadian Parks Council CAT. NO. R62-434/2013E ISBN: 978-1-100-21893-9 (Cette publication est aussi disponible en français.) Table of Contents 2 | Preface 3 | Executive Summary 4 | The challenge of climate change Necessity for adaptation 6 | Benefits of ecosystem-based adaptation Additional benefits of parks and protected areas 8 | Parks and protected areas: part of the solution Strengthening resilience 10 | Roles for parks and protected areas Protecting safe havens for wildlife: helping plants, animals and their habitats adapt Working with partners to connect and restore landscapes and seascapes Protecting ecosystem services and supporting healthy communities Building knowledge and understanding of impacts and solutions Inspiring and engaging Canadians 40 | Weathering our future: the “natural solutions” approach Protect, connect, restore Contribute knowledge Lead by example 44 | Working together Realizing the potential 48 | References 52 | Glossary Preface Canada has a magnificent natural along with the federal government, Canada’s parks and protected heritage that defines our country are actively developing strategies areas hold great promise as part in the eyes of Canadians and to help all sectors of society of a natural solution to climate the world community. Our long adapt more effectively to climate change. At the same time, there tradition of establishment and change. Protected areas are an is much more to do to expand our effective management of parks and important part of any climate protected areas networks, connect protected areas—whether they be change strategy, as they protect natural spaces, restore ecosystems vast, relatively untouched spaces or ecosystems and the services they and habitats, bring back native places for recreational enjoyment, provide for communities; they store species, and inspire and engage learning and discovery—aims to vast quantities of carbon thereby Canadians. By reaching across protect our natural and cultural reducing emissions of carbon dioxide boundaries, sharing best practices heritage for present and future from land use change; and they and learning from one another, generations. Canada’s parks and provide safe havens for plants and parks and protected areas agencies protected areas are important to animals. can strengthen their contributions Canadians for their role in protecting This report highlights the roles of to climate change adaptation and significant landscape and seascape parks and protected areas in climate mitigation. The goal of the members features, conserving biodiversity and change adaptation and mitigation, of the CPC Climate Change Working cultural resources, and providing and some of the actions taken to Group is to encourage the creation opportunities for recreation and date by provincial, territorial and of ecologically resilient networks connection with nature. In some federal parks and protected areas of parks and protected areas, parts of Canada, they may represent agencies as they respond to the connected through sustainably the only remaining examples of challenge of rapid climate change. managed landscapes and seascapes, relatively undisturbed ecosystems. The report builds on the work of as a key part of the solution to Most of these areas are managed by the Canadian Council on Ecological Canada’s climate change challenges. federal, provincial and territorial Areas and others who have identified governments. the need for greater collaboration Parks and protected areas are across jurisdictions on this issue. increasingly being recognized Recognizing this need, the Canadian for another important role they Parks Council (CPC) Climate Change Karen Keenleyside play: as a key means of adapting Working Group is coordinating Chair, Canadian Parks Council to and mitigating climate change. these efforts to build understanding Climate Change Working Group The world’s climate is changing, and capacity among jurisdictions and human and natural systems to respond to climate change and will need to find ways to adapt. identify opportunities to work Canadian provinces and territories, together. 2 Executive Summary Rapid, human-induced global ■ Protecting safe havens for wildlife: “natural solution” to climate change, climate change is occurring and helping plants, animals and their Canadian parks and protected areas will have far-reaching impacts on habitats adapt; agencies will need to collaborate society, biodiversity and ecosystems. ■ Working with partners to connect with a full range of partners and Adaptation measures are thus a and restore landscapes and stakeholders to: necessary complement to reducing seascapes; ■ Protect more natural areas; greenhouse gas emissions. Ecosystem- ■ Protecting ecosystem services and ■ Contribute to building resilient, based adaptation—a complementary supporting healthy communities; well-connected networks of approach to other types of climate ■ Building knowledge and healthy ecosystems; change adaptation—emphasizes understanding of impacts and ■ Actively manage and restore the the protection of biodiversity, the solutions; and ecological integrity of ecosystems; restoration of ecosystem functions ■ Inspiring and engaging ■ Improve our understanding and the sustainable use of resources Canadians. of climate change impacts and to help nature and people adapt to The challenges of climate change solutions for parks and protected climate change. are such that Canadian parks areas; Parks and protected areas offer and protected areas agencies ■ Share knowledge to help build certain advantages for implementing must work together to strengthen capacity and ensure effective ecosystem-based approaches to their contributions to climate management of parks and climate change adaptation. For change adaptation and mitigation. protected areas; and example, parks and protected Canadian parks and protected areas ■ Engage and inspire Canadians areas are already being managed to agencies have the opportunity to with hope for the future. conserve biodiversity and maintain protect remaining large, relatively The types of projects described in intact and functioning ecosystems; intact ecosystems, securing space this report are only the beginning. they are effective ways of retaining for wildlife to move and adapt, Much more needs to be done in order natural ecosystems and the services protecting natural and cultural for parks and protected areas to fully they provide; they form the core heritage, conserving traditional food realize their potential as natural areas necessary for the long-term sources, and diversifying economic solutions to climate change. Parks and conservation of biodiversity within opportunities for communities in the protected areas agencies need to build broader landscapes and seascapes; face of change. Practices that help to their capacity to adapt proactively. and they provide opportunities for connect existing protected areas, And they cannot do it alone. Securing public engagement and learning. reduce pressures from pollution Canada’s natural and cultural Canada’s networks of parks and and overexploitation, and/or help to heritage—the underpinning of our protected areas play an important role restore ecosystems and habitats are economy, health and well-being—in in strengthening both our ecological fundamental to building the resilience a rapidly changing world will require and social resilience to climate change, of parks and protected areas. new strategies, new partnerships and including: To fully realize the potential