Assessing ecosystem conservation plans for Canadian national parks

Since the conservation of ecological integrity was introduced as the prime mandate of Canadian national parks in 1988, ecosystem conservation plans ha ve become a major method of controlling land use pressures in and around th e national parks. These plans are now required for all Canadian national pa rks. Many have been prepared or are in preparation for parks across the cou ntry, although no information on the overall status of national park ecosys tem conservation planning was available at the time of our study. This prel iminary analysis and assessment is based largely on experience with ecosyst em conservation planning at Georgian Bay Islands, Bruce Peninsula, and St. Lawrence Islands National Parks in Ontario and Fundy National Park in New B runswick, Canada. The study should be of value to all those concerned with ecosystem-based planning in Canada and other countries. The results of our analysis show that ecosystem conservation planning involves many contextual , historical, social, economic, and planning factors other than ecosystem s cience. Of special importance are the unique natural and human circumstance s that apply to each national park and its region; the need fur a communica tion strategy to inform and bring together the many agencies, groups, and i ndividuals typically involved, both inside and outside the parks; and a lon g-term interactive and adaptive planning approach. We outline details of th ese important considerations in ecosystem conservation planning and offer s ome general guidelines based on our experience to date.