Protected areas of Canada
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Protected areas of Canada consists of approximately 11.4 percent of the nation’s landmass and 8.9 percent of its territorial waters, intended to preserve ecological integrity, and provide areas for recreation and education.[1]
Protected areas have different classifications of protection depending on the organization which manages them, with some areas having a greater focus on ecological integrity or historical preservation or public usage or scientific research or a combination of usages.[2]
National parks and protected areas
The primary focus of national parks is to preserve ecological integrity. These parks are administered by Parks Canada. National Marine Conservation Areas, while also under federal control, do not afford the same level of protection.
The Canadian Wildlife Service, a division of Environment Canada, manages the National Wildlife Areas, Marine Wildlife Areas, and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries for the protection of wildlife.[3] A National Wildlife Area protects any land or marine environment within the Canadian territorial waters, that is, extending up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) away from a coast per the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. A Marine Wildlife Area is used to protect marine environments that are within Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone, extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coastline.[4] Two separate areas, one a National Wildlife Area and the other a Marine Wildlife Area, could be created to protect a contiguous zone covering land and marine features extending to the 200-nautical-mile (370 km) limit.
Regional conservation
Provincial and territorial governments also protect areas within their boundaries.[5] Urban parks in Canada are operated by municipal governments for public recreation and foliage preservation in cities.[6]
Another form of conservation is made by land owners who want to preserve nature for future generations by placing a covenant on their land.
See also
- Wildlife of Canada
- Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
- The Land Conservancy
- Biosphere Reserves of Canada
References
- ^ "Canada's conserved areas". Environment and Climate Canada. 2020.
- ^ "Protected Areas". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 2014.
- ^ "Environment Canada's Protected Areas Network". Hinterland Who's Who. Canadian Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2019-03-14.
- ^ Wiken, Ed. "Casting the bottom line on the blue planet". Proceedings of the 1997 Conference of the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas. Natural Resources Canada. Archived from the original on 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
- ^ "Canadian Provinces/Territories By Percentage Of Protected Terrestrial Area". WorldAtlas.
- ^ "City parks". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 2017.