Progress Report on Implementation of the Recommendations of the Panel on the Ecological Integrity of Canada's National Parks

Parks Canada has taken many significant steps in the past twelve months responding to the Panel's recommendations consistent with the Action Plan announced immediately upon releasing the Panel's report. For example, Parks Canada has:

• included provisions in the Canada National Parks Act that make the maintenance or restoration of ecological integrity the first priority when considering all aspects of the management of parks; make ecological integrity central to park management planning; and permit greater flexibility for Aboriginal peoples to practise traditional activities in national parks
• developed a draft Agency Charter that underscores Parks Canada's ecological integrity mandate
• initiated a dialogue on ecological integrity and the Panel's report with Parks Canada staff and managers
• developed and pilot tested an ecological integrity training program for Parks Canada staff
• revised the Parks Canada Guide to Management Planning to reinforce the primacy of ecological integrity in the preparation and implementation of national park plans
• declared wilderness areas in four national parks and developed an Action Plan for declaring wilderness areas in most other national parks as management plans are revised
• appointed an Executive Director, Ecological Integrity who is part of Parks Canada's Executive Board, and a Project Manager, Ecological Integrity Implementation, and a Chief, Ecosystem Science, both reporting to the Executive Director
• initiated dialogue with other governments and other federal departments and agencies related to cooperative ecological integrity actions
• enhanced efforts to raise awareness of ecological integrity challenges faced in national parks and to influence appropriate visitor expectations and use through marketing communications
• initiated collaborative educational projects respecting sensitive tourism with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada and the Canadian Tourism Commission and initiated a series of educational seminars to influence travel industry marketing and use of national parks
• strengthened administrative systems to more clearly account for resources spent on ecological integrity initiatives
• directed staff to give priority to ecological integrity in any decisions affecting revenue initiatives
• initiated proposals to secure new funds for implementing the full range of recommendations put forward by the Panel