Environmental Conservation Master Plan + Policy Updates

Client Parkland County
Location Alberta | Canada

To meet Parkland County’s goal of enhancing its role as “a respected steward of the environment,” O2 was engaged to update the County’s Environmental Conservation Master Plan (ECMP). The new ECMP will refine and update Parkland County’s Environmentally Significant Areas (ESA) inventory, provide beneficial management practices for environmental stewardship, and recommend new policies, procedures, and tools for land use management. The ECMP will also recommend updates to the County’s existing land use bylaws. These recommendations will be incorporated into the environment section of the new Municipal Development Plan.

The ESA inventory portion of the ECMP overlaid data representing the region’s most valued and vulnerable environmental resources to develop a map of the 61 of the most Environmentally Significant Areas in the County. While all areas in the County are considered environmentally significant to some degree, the ESAs represent hotspots of environmental value around which specific environmental protection policy recommendations were crafted. This study will support informed decision-making and wise land-use planning to make Parkland County a more vibrant, healthy, and beautiful place to live.

By providing science based policy direction, as well as specific tools for environmental policy implementation, the ECMP is intended to complement a range of other planning and stewardship initiatives being undertaken in Parkland County.