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Canada's landscapes and seascapes are diverse. They contain varying
habitats and ecosystems from the arctic in the far north, through
to the grasslands, forests and warm coasts in the southern latitudes.
These landscapes are associated with many resources and assets that
may be on the ground (i.e. trees, wildlife, wetlands, soils) or below
the ground (i.e. oil & gas, minerals, groundwater).
The management of these landscapes and their resources is a much
more involved task than ever before. Failing to establish integrated
landscape management principles and practices can have serious detrimental
impacts on habitat and wildlife. Canadians and others have expressed
various interests related to landscape management, particularly:
- What should landscapes be managed for (i.e. conservation,
forestry, agriculture, mining)?
Many parts of the same
landscape can serve different uses. This may place competitive
demands on the land base.
- How should landscapes be managed (i.e. multiple use, ecosystem
management)?
At times, a range of land
uses can be integrated in a compatible manner to serve a variety
of users. Beyond responding to human activity interests, understanding
the basic ecology of landscapes has become far more important
in landscape management.
Today's
landscape, as well as seascape, management requires a much more
inclusive process. The management approach needs to include a broader
range of stakeholders, longer-term commitments, expertise from many
disciplines, various levels of planning and assessments, and mechanisms
to adapt to emerging needs and improved science.
Recognizing
these facts, WHC co-chaired a National Landscape Management Workshop
in 2003 to explore the state of current knowledge of landscape management.
It brought together a consortium of resource industries, governments
and conservation organizations to further consolidate nationally-consistent
principles and approaches concerning landscape management. This
will serve as a basis to further draw together the information and
science that will support their widespread implementation.
Some
50 invitees participated in the workshop, bringing on-the-ground
knowledge and experiences in conservation and resource management,
as well as related socio-economic and basic science areas. Examples
from many key land-based resource sectors, such as forestry and
agriculture, as well as with issues related to fresh water, habitat
conservation, biodiversity were discussed and reviewed. Please consult
the final
report from this workshop for more information.
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