Biodiversity Climate change

WCS Canada Comments on Alberta’s Nature Strategy

Harris, L. Goodday, V. Olson, C. Ray, J. & Raudsepp-Hearne, C.

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Key points

• Alberta's Nature Strategy must be aligned with and tie into the goals, targets and strategies of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and other international agreements.
• Ecological integrity should be included in the Strategy as a key measure of healthy ecosystems and landscapes.
• The Strategy should include a focus on restoring and enhancing working landscapes, including a particular focus on avoiding and addressing impacts to peatlands caused by peat extraction, oil and gas exploration and operations, and other industrial activities.
• To foster connection to nature, the Strategy must prioritize expanding opportunities to connect with nature across both urban and rural settings, integration of nature into early education curricula, and funding for access to nature.
• When considering the quantification of the value of ecosystem services and factoring this into land-use decision-making, the Strategy must take into account the full suite of ecosystem services across time, include a range of indicators beyond simply a dollar figure, and account for the carbon services of ecosystems.

Abstract

This document reflects the comments submitted by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Canada to the Government of Alberta’s Nature Strategy engagement survey on November 7, 2024.

WCS Canada welcomes further discussion.

Recommended citation

Harris, L. Goodday, V. Olson, C. Ray, J. & Raudsepp-Hearne, C. (2024). WCS Canada Comments on Alberta’s Nature Strategy. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]. https://wcscanada.org/resources/wcs-canada-comments-on-albertas-nature-strategy/