Hello Friends,

In this article we will be discussing the importance of National Parks and National Marine protected Areas in Canada?s North. The National Parks of Canada are special protected natural spaces in various different regions of Canada that represent special geographic formations. The parks are based upon the goals of conservation, ecological protection and cooperative management. They come under the administration of Parks Canada just as National Marine Protected Areas.

In the early days, Parks Canada and the first National Park, Banff National Park, in Alberta, Canada, was developed with the mandate of commercialization and the tourism centred on the park. This mandate and vision was soon revised to incorporate the values of preservation of significant lands for future generations. In the status quo, the management of wildlife and habitat quality within the parks comes under the jurisdiction of the Parks Canada authority and local community. National parks now represent the vast natural heritage found in the second largest country by area: Canada.

The current basis for national parks is to conserve the resources found within them. The parks are aimed to conserve Canada?s natural heritage for generations to come. Additionally, the National parks are set to maintain ?ecological integrity?. Protecting the animals and preserving their habitat from resource development and exploitation which could be potentially harmful to these missions is a priority of the National Parks mandate. During my recent visit to Canada?s Northern region I encountered one of the National Parks which is less visited by tourists however possesses breathtaking natural beauty. This park, called Sirmilik National park, is situated in the Arctic Cordillera and representative of the North Eastern Arctic Lowlands in Canada?s natural landscape. In this particular National Park, the wildlife in the region is not allowed to be hunted by anyone other than the Inuit populations nearby who are allowed to hunt for food purposes. Hence, the park is protected from illegal hunting.\

Furthermore, the management of the lands which the national parks cover have evolved to be cooperative with the local indigenous groups which live there. This ensures that the interests of the groups which either live on or near the lands which are proposed to become national parks can be protected. The Parks Canada guidelines protect the region from any oil and gas development.

In the previous article, I mentioned the Baffinland mining proposal and operation. The freighters which this operation will employ to transport the ore will run through a proposed National Marine Conservation Area. Northern Canada is very rich in resources. However, the people who call it home have an important decision to make when it comes to the establishment of National parks. Do they wish to limit the development opportunities in a region which could benefit from jobs and prosperity? Or do they want to allow potential developments which could damage the environment and land which the people depend on. It is a question which is not very easy to answer. However, in the modern context, the National Parks of Canada stand to protect and work with the people in Canada to preserve Canada?s natural heritage for generations to come. 

photo credit: pc.ga.ca