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CONSERVATION-BASED LAND USE PLANNING
An Overview
Researchers have been grappling with the question... how can we safely use the land and its resources and still provide for the livelihoods of people?
A system of planning and management called conservation-based land use planning (CLUP) has come out of this questioning.
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Clearcut from the air. Photo by S. Vanwilgenburg |
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The Issue: Human activities are expanding in a big way in Saskatchewan, bringing a growing accumulation of unnatural impacts to our landscapes.
Logging, mining, water diversions, agriculture and tourism for example, are expanding in many directions. All of these introduce their own impacts as well as new roads which in turn, invite more activity.
The collective result is unprecedented and largely unmeasured change to our natural ecosystems. In many places, the consequences are unfolding as wildlife species disappear at escalating rates never before seen in human history.
What is Conservation-based Land Use Planning (CLUP)?
CLUP is a planning and management system that directs human activities on the land so that economies can prosper in ecologically appropriate ways. The principles and approaches used are grounded in conservation science and traditional knowledge.
Ecosystem health and ecological prosperity are achieved in large part, by zoning system(s) that are designed to take care of nature's needs first, and economic needs second. This prioritization (nature's needs first) is premised on the understanding that human economies and cultures are sustained by healthy landscapes (not the other way around).
A key advantage to using CLUP is its inherent capacity to address cumulative impacts that inevitably result from a mix of human activities and developments on the landscape.
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 CLUP considers the full range of human needs in the region and how activities interact and impact on one another.
It establishes multi-layered networks of protected areas (large, medium and small sites that are linked)
It plans for a mix of human activities that nature can withstand and support.
Ideally, CLUP is done large tracts of land and ahead of major developments such as logging and mining.
Conservation-Based Land Use Planning in Saskatchewan
CLUP has not yet happened in Saskatchewan. Instead, most provincial land use planning policies are relying on industrial planning approaches, leaving our landscapes vulnerable to over-exploitation, fragmentation and species loss.
The industrial approach focuses on minimizing protection and opening vast areas of crown land up to a variety of developments. This kind of planning relies heavily on project management plans and environmental impact assessments to preserve ecosystem health. Unfortunately, the approach is both inappropriate and risky because project plans and assessments are neither designed nor intended to address the cumulative impacts that any mix of human activities bring to the landscape.
There is overwhelming evidence that networks of large, interconnected protected areas play an extremely important role in maintaining the long-term health of ecosystems. A primary reason for this is because many wild plant and animal species simply cannot survive in fragmented landscapes with small, isolated protected areas. Saskatchewan already has some places that are protected from invasive activities such as logging, mining, ploughing, road building, etc. But it is not enough.
In recent years, several conservation-based land use plans have been developed by communities and citizen groups. For example, efforts in the North Central and Athabasca regions have produced draft plans with zoning structures and land use recommendations that incorporate conservation planning principles designed to preserve boreal forest ecosystems. These draft plans have been submitted to government for consideration but were rejected.
The Good News
The good news is, we have enough information to begin planning to create a sustainable future. Both research and common sense recognize that CLUP is an important tool to achieve this goal. And we don't need to know everything about the land to get started.
Government has taken some initial steps towards CLUP in Saskatchewan's southwest in the Great Sand Hills. Similar planning can be implemented in other regions of the province, including our boreal forest.
Conclusion
Conservation-based land use planning respects the enormous contribution that the land makes to all of us in providing for livelihoods, producing clean water and air, curbing global warming and sustaining wildlife diversity.
It is still possible to create a sustainable future in Saskatchewan. If the public insists on conservation-based land use planning and management, governments and communities can develop and implement balanced plans so that conservation and diverse economies become primary goals. New and sustainable systems of protected areas can be identified. Where needed, monitoring and restoration projects can be designed and implemented. And world class, best-practices for resource extraction activities can become a requirement.
CPAWS and others are working to help make that change by promoting conservation-based planning.
Click here for a more detailed look at CLUP
Download fact sheet on Conservation-based Land Use Planning
LEARN MORE
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| Conservation-based Land Use Planning (CLUP) |
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| Read more about what CLUP is and how it is done |
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| Saskatchewan's Protected Areas Program |
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| Read about the Representative Areas Network Program |
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