Article content

Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Parks Shannon Phillips made a major announcement in late February that went largely unnoticed. Working together, she said, Alberta can achieve 17 per cent protection for our natural landscapes by 2020.

This is a big deal. It shows that the province is committed to being an environmental leader in Canada.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Alison Ronson: Alberta shows it is serious about protecting natural areas Back to video

In fact, by supporting Canada in achieving its international commitment to protect 17 per cent of terrestrial landscapes and inland waters by 2020, the announcement makes history: Alberta is the first province in Canada to publicly commit to this goal.

The 17 per cent goal makes up part of Canada’s international commitments under the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity, which Canada ratified in 1992. Incorporated into the Canadian biodiversity strategy, the 17 per cent goal is something all provinces are supposed to work toward. However, while provinces such as Ontario have written about the 17 per cent goal in their own biodiversity strategies, Alberta is the first province to publicly announce that it has the intention of actually achieving that level of protection.