About Biodiversity

Everything we need to live and enjoy the great quality of life that we have in Alberta is provided by the natural world. Biodiversity is important because it provides ecological goods and services including:

• Raw materials for food, clothing, and shelter
• Regulation of climate, disease, flood, and air and water purification
• Support to soil formation and nutrient cycling
• Spiritual, educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities.

The quality of life we enjoy as Albertans results primarily from the development and use of our land and natural resources. This may contribute to biodiversity alteration and loss through:

• Climate change
• Habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation
• Increased resource consumption
• Over-harvesting of species.
• Pollution
• Rapid population growth and economic development
• Spread of invasive alien species

The challenge is to develop and use our land and natural resources in ways that will reduce impacts on biodiversity. Each of us can take the initiative and embrace opportunities to maintain biodiversity.

• As individuals
  • Increase your knowledge
  • Volunteer
  • Advocate a personal ethic that supports biodiversity
• As Landowners
  • Support the provision of ecological goods and services for all of society
  • Keep your land healthy and productive – take advantage of existing programs.
• As a community or non-government group
  • Share your talent and passion with others in support of a conservation 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.

Within the Government of Alberta, the responsibility for the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of biological resources is shared by a number of Ministries and agencies.

The Ministry of Sustainable Resource Development plays a central role through its mandate to manage public land, forests, and fish and wildlife. Other Ministries and agencies, such as Agriculture and Food; Tourism, Parks, Recreation, and Culture; Energy; Environment; Infrastructure and Transportation; Municipal Affairs; and the Energy and Utilities Board also play important roles in conserving biodiversity.

The Government of Alberta delivers and supports many programs that benefit biodiversity. Many of these programs are delivered in partnership with individuals, organizations, the private sector and other governments. Some of these programs are:

Conservation of species and habitats

Supporting land trusts and conservation easement opportunities:

• Alberta Land Trust Alliance

Maintaining a network of parks and protected areas:

• Parks and Protected Areas

Managing species at risk:

• Species at Risk

Monitoring and reporting on biodiversity:

• Alberta Biodiversity Monitring Institute (ABMI)
• Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre
• Grazing & Range Management
• The General Status of Wild Species

Supporting research:

• Ecosystem Management by Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND)
• Foothills Research Institute
• Ecosystem Management by Emulating Natural Disturbance (EMEND)
• Innovation Alberta – Integrated Landscape Management Research Chair

Making and enforcing laws:

• Water Act
• Wildlife Act

Ensuring responsible use of natural resources (forestry, agriculture) through:

• Range health
• Land Reclamation and Remediation

Fighting against biological threats (invasive species, pests, and diseases)

• Invasive species

Supporting healthy aquatic ecosystems:

Making progress on climate change:

• Alberta Environment – Climate Change

Supporting environmental stewardship and related partnerships:

• Alberta Environmental Network
• Alberta Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture (AESA)
• Alberta Land Trust Alliance
• Alberta Stewardship Network
• Cows and Fish
• Ducks Unlimited
• Environmental Farm Plan Company
• Land Stewardship Center of Canada

Biological diversity, or biodiversity, refers to the variety of species and ecosystems and the ecological processes of which they are a part.

The management of biodiversity is an issue that affects the quality of life of all Canadians and human societies on a global basis. The biodiversity of ecosystems is a source of food, clothing and shelter yet its importance is largely unappreciated and poorly understood. Human economies are tied to the sustainable development of biodiversity resources. Shifts in biodiversity caused by natural processes, like fire, flooding, and changes in ocean temperature, or by human activities, can alter the resource base of regional economies, sometimes to the detriment of human populations.

Mounting global concern over the decline of biodiversity led to the negotiation of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (also known as the Rio Convention) in 1992. In December 1992, with the support of the provinces and territories, Canada became the first industrialized country to ratify the Convention.

The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy

As required by the Convention, Canada developed the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy (CBS) to guide the conservation of Canada 's biodiversity and sustainable use of biological resources. The Alberta government actively participated in the development of the CBS and signed a Statement of Commitment supporting the strategy in November 1995.

• The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy stresses the need to understand the current status of species and their populations, population trends, and the causes of population and species changes in order to develop sound biodiversity conservation and sustainable use strategies.
• The strategy recognizes existing constitutional and legislative responsibilities for biodiversity, and emphasizes the need for intergovernmental cooperation between the provincial, territorial, and federal governments.
• The governments have committed to pursuing the directions of the CBS–in cooperation with the public and stakeholders–according to their policies, plans, priorities and fiscal capabilities. In committing to the CBS, governments are also responsible for reporting periodically on actions, underway or planned, to implement the strategy.

The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy contains five goals and numerous strategic directions:

• To conserve biodiversity and use biological resources in a sustainable manner.
• To improve our understanding of ecosystems and increase our resource management capability.
• To promote an understanding of the need to conserve biodiversity and use biological resources in a sustainable manner.
• To maintain or develop incentives and legislation that support the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of biological resources.
• To work with other countries to conserve biodiversity, use biological resources in a sustainable manner and share equitably the benefits that arise from the utilization of genetic resources.