About Stewardship

Stewardship is the care and responsible management of our land, air, water and biodiversity. It is an action, an attitude and a choice whereby citizens, industry, communities and governments work together to responsibly care for and manage Alberta’s natural resources and the environment.

The choices we make today have the ability to impact our environment, our health, our economy and our way of life. Becoming stewards means we are taking an active role to ensure that there will always be enough life-sustaining values of nature (ecological goods and services) for future generations.

Nature's values (ecological goods and services) are the products of all the different interactions within an ecosystem. These products of nature sustain our lives on every level. They are the honey that bees produce for us to eat, the timber that trees provide us to build our homes with, clean water for us to drink and the serene natural areas we recreate in.

Albertans are empowered everyday through a variety of opportunities to accept ownership of and personal responsibility for strong, vibrant ecosystems. Even small actions have the ability to make a big difference!

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• As individuals:
  • Advocate a personal ethic that supports healthy and vibrant ecosystems
  • Increase your knowledge
  • Volunteer
• As landowners:
  • Support the provision of ecological goods and services for all of society
  • Keep your land healthy and productive – participate in existing stewardship programs.
• As a community or non-government group:
  • Share your talents, passion and knowledge with others in support of a stewardship project
• As businesses, industries and municipalities:
  • Be proactive – demonstrate social and ethical responsibility at local, regional, and provincial levels
• As a public service:
  • Provide leadership, coordination, and planning support