Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture

Parks & Protected Areas Vision & Mission
The long-term success of the parks and protected areas network in preserving Alberta's natural heritage is determined in large part by the attitudes of decision-makers, staff, volunteers, the private sector, industry, visitors and the general public. The Alberta Government's commitment to the parks and protected areas network is embodied in our vision and mission statements:

Vision
Parks and protected areas are valued as natural landscapes that preserve the environmental diversity of the province and inspire society to enjoy and rediscover our connection with the natural world.

Mission
Parks and protected areas are managed as a legacy for future generations through leadership, stewardship and research to protect biodiversity and provide environmental, social, and economic benefits.

Goals
Four goals reflect our collective commitment to maintaining a network of parks and protected areas for present and future generations. The primary goal of preservation is balanced with three other goals: heritage appreciation, outdoor recreation and heritage tourism. Achieving these goals contributes to our cultural identity, health, well-being and economic prosperity.

Preservation - to preserve, in perpetuity, a network of parks and protected areas that represent the diversity of the province's natural heritage and related cultural heritage.

Heritage Appreciation - to provide opportunities to explore, understand, and appreciate Alberta's natural heritage, and to enhance public awareness of our relationship to and dependence upon the natural world.

Outdoor Recreation - to provide a variety of natural landscape-dependent outdoor recreation opportunities and related facilities and services.

Heritage Tourism - to encourage Alberta residents and visitors to discover and enjoy the province's natural heritage through a variety of outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism opportunities, facilities and accommodation services.

Benefits
Preservation of Alberta's natural and cultural heritage through a network of parks and protected areas has many benefits.

Preservation
Parks and Protected areas:

• maintain ecosystem health and safeguard natural heritage by conserving biological and geological diversity;
  
• preserve representative landscapes and habitat for vulnerable, threatened and endangered species;
  
• preserve diversity of genetic stocks that have potential in development of new foods, medicines and other products;
  
• serve as benchmarks against which we can evaluate resource use and management in surrounding areas; and
  
• serve as natural laboratories for scientific research.
  

• promote understanding of our environment and the ecological processes upon which we depend;
  
• provide places where we can connect with the natural world and renew ourselves, both spiritually and culturally; and
  
• strengthen our cultural identity by ensuring survival of the species that symbolize our province.
  

Outdoor Recreation
Parks and Protected areas:

• provide opportunities for nature-based recreation;
  
• provide opportunities for wilderness recreation and solitude;
  
• provide settings for outdoor recreation, where we can improve our physical health and test our outdoor skills; and
  
• enhance our quality of life by providing natural places for family and friends to recreate.

Heritage Tourism
Parks and Protected areas:

• protect Alberta's greatest tourism asset, its natural landscapes;
  
• provide nature-based tourism opportunities for Alberta residents and visitors;
  
• diversify local and regional economies; and
  
• strengthen Alberta as a natural heritage-based national and international tourist destination.
  

For more information about Managing the Network, contact Archie Landals.