Problems and issues associated with traditional approaches to land use planning include the need for more provincial and often international direction that does not interfere with local autonomy; settlement and resource land use planning; relationships among provincial, regional and local land use planning and program implementation; and coordination and integration of existing programs and policies. When combined, these problems and issues point to the need for a strategic and integrated approach to land use planning.

Five provinces have developed provincial land use policies and implementation strategies: British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. In the Northwest Territories and Yukon, regional land use planning processes are being put in place through the implementation of land claims agreements with Aboriginal people.

Many integrated resource and land management planning efforts that are under way at the provincial level include strategies for wildlife, parks and protected areas, and forestry. For example, Ontario and Alberta have structured approaches to resource land planning. British Columbia's Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE) is another excellent example of developing a more open process to examine multiple land resource issues and goals.

Federal and provincial governments are using an ecosystem framework to provide a road map to more detailed information in various resource databases. The ecological framework will help in the assessment of current land use and resource management practices across Canada. For example, there are currently ten large-scale environmental studies, funded by Environment Canada's Eco-Research Program, focusing on a cross-disciplinary approach to ecosystem management and providing a series of sustainable development models on which to develop, test, and recommend management options.

One major challenge to the sustainable management of land resources is the management of urbanization, especially its effects on agricultural and other biologically productive land. As cities grow, land use conflicts will become more acute if they are dealt with through traditional approaches and ways of valuing land.

Data requirements for land resource/use planning are growing as are the abilities to analyze, integrate and communicate such information. In contrast, many of the major land resource and land use gathering programs which supported these efforts no longer exist.

Many provincial initiatives typify the shift to ecosystem-based forest management. These include legislated requirements for integrating economic, environmental and social interests in forest management (e.g. employment, wildlife habitat, biodiversity, non-timber forest products and local communities); stricter environmental protection measures; forest protection strategies including silvicultural methods and the use of biological pest control products; decrease in the size of timber harvest areas; changes in timber harvesting methods to promote natural regeneration; increased royalties; adoption of a framework of criteria and indicators; and integrating natural resource inventories.

An aspect of sustainable forest management that continues to evolve is decision-making. Public participation is now legislated in most provinces. At the same time, debate and some conflicts continue regarding the acceptability of some forestry practices and the need to sustain local communities and overall economic activity. Wood and paper product companies have initiated corporate environmental reporting, adopted voluntary codes of practice and increased their capacity to monitor their own performance and compliance with regulations. They have invested heavily in pollution reduction, virtually eliminating dioxins and furans from pulp and paper mill effluents. New equipment for high-yield pulp, composite panels and recycled papers spare wood fibre. The Canadian Standards Association has established a voluntary certification standard to identify timber produced under sustainable forest management regimes. The Forest Stewardship Council is also promoting a voluntary certification system, linking products to performance throughout product life-cycles.

Research continues to increase our understanding of forest ecosystem functions and the impacts of human activities on them. This is leading to the development of more environmentally benign and cost-effective practices. The nature of this research and the potential spin-offs foster R&D partnerships.

Canada's principal mechanism for implementing UNCED forest commitments is its National Forest Strategy. Sustainable Forests: A Canadian Commitment addresses nine strategic subject areas through close to one hundred actions. An independent mid-term evaluation concluded that Canadians remain strongly committed to the strategy. A final evaluation, again at arm's length, will be completed by May 1997. A successor strategy will be ready by the end of 1997.

In 1994, the federal House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources recommended that forest research focus on sustainable development, that better information be made available on Canada's forests and their management, and that Canada continue its international efforts to promote sustainable forest management worldwide. The current federal forest research programme fully reflects those recommendations.

Following extensive consultations, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) released a scientifically-based framework of criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management in October 1995. Defining Sustainable Forest Management: A Canadian Approach to Criteria and Indicators identifies 6 criteria and 83 indicators which express the values held by Canadians and their views on forests and their use. Currently, efforts are focused on compiling information and data on the indicators, and developing approaches to fill identified gaps. A first report will be released in January 1997. In addition, the CCFM is developing an action plan to strengthen Canada's future reporting.

The report, OECD Environmental Performance Review: Canada, released in November 1995, noted that: the renewal of Canada's forests is secure as a result of policies that have been in place for some time; private companies have made substantial progress in reducing pollution; and public participation in decision-making is remarkable. The report also urged the continued development of alternative silviculture methods and the expansion of scientific knowledge of the biodiversity of Canada's forests.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) was Canada's lead agency in the negotiations. CIDA ,along with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC),will implement the Convention on Canada's behalf. Current initiatives under the Convention respond to the Urgent Action for Africa Resolution supporting preparation of National Action Programs and Public Awareness Raising. Both CIDA and IDRC have ongoing programs addressing land degradation in dryland areas.

IDRC's activities focus on research and knowledge sharing. Programming includes: fostering local community participation through sponsored workshops, research on coping and adaptive strategies, indigenous production, and social and environmental indicators. Research is also taking place on integrated decision-support systems and information networks for future reporting. CIDA supports United Nations organizations and international research networks that deal with desertification issues. It also provides bilateral funding for research on pest control, agriculture, and drought mitigation.

Some of CIDA's programming deals directly with the problem of land degradation by focusing on natural resource management techniques. In Burkina Faso, programs focus on improving soil fertility through composting, drought preparedness, small scale irrigation, and plant and tree protection. Action on desertification often reflects the place of poverty alleviation as a core programming theme for CIDA. CIDA undertakes programming which focuses on education, popular participation and the promotion of alternative livelihoods. In China, CIDA is running a desertification related program focusing on alternative livelihoods and income generation to reduce poverty and improve the situation of women.

A component of IDRC's programming is directly in support of the Convention. It is intended to support the processes of selected African countries' preparation of National Action Plans. Support programmes of this type are currently underway in Burkina Faso. CIDA is exploring the use of an umbrella program in the West African region which would permit support to a variety of small scale national initiatives related to the consultative processes for the preparation of National Action Programs. CIDA supports the efforts of Southern Africans in a community drought mitigation program. In addition, Canada also provides support through our multilateral partners.

Other CIDA programs focus on the role of grass root organizations in the process. In Burkina Faso and Mali, CIDA is working with the Canadian NGO Solidarité-Canada-Sahel (SCS) and local non-governmental organizations to encourage communities to get involved in the preparation of their countries' National Action Programs. In partnership with CIDA, other organizations such as CARE Canada and the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada (USC -Canada) work with their counterparts in developing countries to encourage and promote action at the grass-roots level. CIDA supports the work of the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network (DCFRN). This organization uses radio broadcasts and the distribution of reading material through its network in Africa and around the world to provide a forum for partners to increase public awareness and initiate dialogue.

Canada has been raising domestic public awareness about international desertification. Supported by CIDA or through SCS and USC-Canada, activities marked World Day to Combat Desertification in 1996 across the country. In addition, public service announcements in French and English were also produced to air on national television to reach out to the Canadian public.

There is a growing reliance on integrated land use and resource management planning. These practices help ensure that development in Canada's mountain ecosystems is environmentally sustainable. Watershed planning is one such mechanism, traditionally used at the community level and now increasingly used at a regional level.

In British Columbia, land and resources management plans (LRMP) are being developed as a means of resolving land and resources-based conflicts in all regions of the province, including mountain ecosystems. LRMPs have been developed through a multi-stakeholder process for several mountain regions, such as the east and west Kootenays. These plans take into consideration all aspects of sustainable development: commercial resource use; protected areas; development strategies; and certainty in land use designation. When stakeholders have agreed to an LRMP, it is forwarded to government for approval and implementation.

Mountain areas are well represented in Canada's national parks system and in the parks system of British Columbia, Alberta, and Yukon. In November 1992, Canadian parks, environment, wildlife, and forestry ministers endorsed a historic commitment to complete a network of protected areas representative of Canada's land-based natural regions by the year 2000. Federally, that commitment entails representing each of 39 natural regions in the national parks system. Ten of these regions are predominately mountainous. Of these, eight are represented by fourteen national parks (two regions are represented by two national parks and another by five). Of the two mountainous natural regions unrepresented in the national parks system, one is represented in the provincial parks system and a study is assessing the feasibility of a candidate national park in the other. Seven of Canada's mountain national parks have been judged significant enough globally to be designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Parks encourage cooperative regional land use planning and management and environmental monitoring. The broader ecosystem approach to the management of protected areas is evident in the management of several of Canada's mountain national parks. Waterton Lakes National Park, for example, is the core of one of Canada's six biosphere reserves. Designated under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme, each biosphere reserve - which includes a core protected area, a buffer sone, and a cooperative zone where people live and work - is intended to serve as a demonstration area integrating the conservation of biodiversity with sustainable development.

Canadian Heritage Parks Service, is a partner with the Canadian Forest Service, of Natural Resources Canada in four of ten model forests, such as the Foothills Model Forest outside Jasper National Park. Through this co-operative programme, the Parks Service is working to support the maintenance of sustainable regional landscapes that require preservation efforts, as well as activities beyond park boundaries.

With the growing emphasis on ecosystem management, the Parks Service and other partners are developing and applying methods for assessing ecological integrity: monitoring, trend analysis, and cumulative impact assessment tools. Test studies are currently being conducted in seven national parks, including two mountain parks.

Legislation requires the federal government to report on the state of its national parks. To give a full picture of the state of ecosystems, a survey was conducted in 1992 to identify those internal and external stresses having an ecological impact on the national parks. In the mountain parks, forestry visitor/tourism facilities, utility corridors, and to a lesser extent, urbanization and hydro-electric development were commonly identified as having an impact on park ecology. This, in many instances, simply confirms the integration of the park and its surrounding ecosystem and the need to plan for and manage all protected areas within a broad regional context.

In order to address environmental issues in agriculture effectively, producers, processors, and governments must work together. Federal/provincial agreements on environmentally sustainable agriculture are helping producers design and implement activities focused on issues such as water quality, waste management, and soil conservation. Farmers are forming rural conservation clubs and developing environmental farm plans in Ontario, Atlantic Canada, and Quebec. In the Prairie Provinces,(Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta) the farmer-owned Wheat Pools (grain marketing cooperatives) have developed guides to environmental farm planning to be used in conjunction with other on-farm conservation planning processes. These initiatives help farmers identify their successes in effective environmental management and develop work plans to address potential risks. It is projected that from 5,000 to 6,000 of these plans will be completed in Ontario alone by the year 1997. Alberta has launched a campaign, Growing Alberta, to increase the awareness of the impact of agriculture on the environment and the economy. Producers in a number of provinces are developing management standards that guide the implementation of environmental stewardship. For example, British Columbia and Alberta have established codes of practice for the management of animal waste, and Ontario has produced 10 booklets on Best Management Practices. In Quebec, initiatives include a Sustainable Development Policy for the agricultural sector and new regulations respecting the reduction of agricultural pollution. A component of the St. Lawrence Vision 2000, an action plan between the governments of Canada and Quebec designed to conserve, protect and restore the St. Lawrence River, supports projects that contribute to reducing agricultural pollution.

Industry has developed tools for environmental stewardship, such as programmes to reduce environmental impacts and health risks in the agri-chemical industry, publications promoting improved water quality, and videos on best management practices. Canada has instituted a number of soil conservation and habitat conservation programmes over the years, such as the Permanent Cover Programme, that will ultimately convert some half-million hectares of marginal, erosion-prone land in parts of western Canada from annual crops to sustainable land uses under permanent cover. In most provinces, Federal Green Plan programs are addressing the links between pesticides and water quality, wildlife and biodiversity. Part of a new federal agricultural adaptation initiative, that is managed by farmers, is addressing issues such as water quality and waste management.

In the future, farmers will continue their shift to sustainable management practices and industry will improve its ability to self-regulate through initiatives such as environmental codes of practices and self-assessment guides. Industry and governments will continue to promote environmental sustainability and improve the understanding of the links between the sector's activities and their impacts on the environment. Provincial and federal governments will continue to work towards ensuring that policies and programs contribute to sound environmental practice by, for example, adapting their initiatives to the ecosystem approach and addressing issues at the rural-urban interface. Agriculture and Agri-food Canada has completed a national consultative process to examine the challenges of environmental sustainability facing the sector and to develop a federal departmental strategy and action plan. A new Strategy for Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture and Agri-Food Development in Canada, that will provide the key underpinning for the department's post-Green Plan environmental activities, will be realised early in 1997. It will reflect an increased emphasis on pollution prevention and environmental stewardship among farmers and agri-food industries.

Convention on Biological Diversity

Convention

Signed in 1992

Ratified in 1992

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora

Convention ratified in 1975

Latest report submitted in 1996

Additional comments relevant to this chapter

In November 1995, environment ministers from each of Canada's provinces and territories joined the federal Minister of the Environment in signing the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy. Based on extensive consultation with all sectors of Canadian society, the Strategy will be implemented through measures such as: the filing, within one year of Strategy approval, of jurisdictional reports on policies, activities, and plans that help implement the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD); coordination of national and international Strategy elements; formal mechanisms that permit and encourage non-government participation in Strategy implementation; and reports on the status of biodiversity. In November 1995, Montreal was chosen as the site for the Permanent Secretariat of the CBD by the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CBD meeting in Djakarta, Indonesia. The new premises of the Permanent Secretariat in Montreal were officially opened in May 1996.

In October, 1996, the Endangered Species Protection Act bill was introduced into Parliament. The Act is designed to prevent extirpation or extinction of wildlife species, and to secure their recovery. The scope of the Act covers wildlife within federal jurisdiction, and will be complemented by provincial and territorial legislation and programs under a National Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk. Other important legislative or policy initiatives include the proposed Oceans and Endangered Species legislation, and a National Program of Action on Land-Based Sources of Marine Pollution.

In 1996, the federal government in cooperation with the provinces, territories, and Aboriginal communities, created two new national parks and provided interim protection for two areas that have been proposed as national parks. In addition, the federal government has announced that it is considering the establishment and management of national marine conservation areas.

The national Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) is providing the opportunity to develop inventories and engage in long-term biodiversity monitoring at many locations across the country.

In order to fully implement the CBD, much scientific research remains to be done. For example, Canada needs to improve basic inventory data at both species and ecosystem levels. Only approximately 50 percent of the species that are thought to exist in the country have been identified. Moreover, we must continue to heighten public understanding of the issues related to conservation and sustainable use of biological resources. As well, at both the national and international levels procedures and mechanisms must be in place to ensure that the sharing of benefits from biological resources is fair and equitable.