Parks Canada is preparing a new management plan for Banff National Park that will guide its activities for the next ten to fifteen years. This plan is important for Banff. It will also set the direction that could be taken for all of the other Rocky Mountain parks.

A draft of the plan is available for public comment until November 30th, 2009. CPAWS is encouraging people concerned about the future of Banff and Canada’s other national parks to submit letters of comment.

CPAWS welcomes some of the direction in the new Banff Management Plan, but is also concerned about some of its content. The good news is that the draft plan emphasizes the goal of maintaining Banff’s special wilderness values and showcasing its conservation innovations. The plan also gives weight to increasing educational opportunities for park visitors to learn more about Banff’s spectacular ecosystems.

However, CPAWS is concerned that the draft plan also states that Parks Canada’s goal is to increase Banff park visitation by two percent per year. And it envisions offering new “non-traditional activities” to attract more visitors. In recent years, Parks Canada has approved such non-traditional activities in Banff National Park as professional golf tournaments and dragon boat races.

So what’s the problem?

First, Banff’s natural ecosystems are already under stress from the high rate of visitation to the park. Twelve years ago the landmark Banff – Bow Valley Study noted that a steadily rising number of visitors was one of the greatest threats to the ecological integrity of Canada’s premier national park – and that number has grown during those past 12 years.

Second, the draft plan opens the door to new development to accommodate non-traditional activities, and to altering wilderness zone boundaries to accommodate the new developments.  Altering wilderness zone boundaries goes against their original intention of protecting sensitive areas.

What’s the solution?

Canada’s national parks have a proud reputation as world leaders in protecting the integrity of the ecosystems within their borders.  We need to keep it this way.

Parks Canada should be encouraging people to visit our national parks to develop their love of nature and an ethic of environmental stewardship. More visitor programs that are sensitive to maintaining the ecological integrity of our parks would be a welcome direction.

Developing educational programs within our national parks, especially during off peak season, would also be a good way to foster love of Canada’s wild nature in new generations of visitors.

CPAWS also believes that it is critical that we maintain rigorous scientific programs in our parks to monitor the health of their ecosystems, and respond to threats with innovative solutions such as the animal corridor highway bypasses in Banff and species re-introduction programs that are currently underway.

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View a summary of the new draft Banff National Park Management Plan (PDF)

While the 80-page Banff National Park draft management plan is not posted on the Parks Canada website, you CAN request a copy from Banff Park Planner, Mike Murtha, at mike.murtha@pc.gc.ca.