Our Parks are more than just Protected Areas ...
Industrial activity is putting tremendous stress on some of Manitoba’s most cherished provincial parks. Pictured is Tembec’s clearcut logging in Nopiming Provincial Park, taken in March 2007. This area is habitat for a high-risk herd of threatened woodland caribou.
Climate Change
Climate change has already started to impact the earth’s web of life by melting glaciers, increasing wildfires, triggering pest infestations and causing extreme weather events. Healthy ecosystems are not only important for cleaning our air and purifying our water, but they also mitigate climate change by serving as “carbon sinks,” absorbing carbon dioxide, one of the primary greenhouse gases causing climate change.
Economic Benefits
Manitoba’s parks provide a wealth of ecosystem services, but they also contribute tens of millions of dollars annually to local towns and cities across the province. According to a Tourism Manitoba report, over $295 million dollars was spent in 2003 on outdoor adventures such as provincial park visits and fishing trips. Despite this large monetary contribution the annual operational budget for Manitoba Parks is less than $23 million.
Habitat and Biological Diversity
Loss of habitat is the primary reason why more than 80% of Canada’s species at risk are endangered, and Manitoba is no exception. Wildlife such as burrowing owls, piping plovers, woodland caribou and loggerhead shrikes are in danger of disappearing from Manitoba due to the loss of the undisturbed beaches, forests and grasslands they call home. Parks play an important role in the prevention of extinction and the maintenance of biodiversity by preserving healthy ecosystems. Unfortunately, many of our parks, due to their small size and lack of interconnected areas, are in danger of becoming “islands of extinction,” where wildlife are unable to disperse and ecosystems slowly degrade because of the fragmentation of the surrounding landscape.
Recreation
Provincial parks provide recreational activities for both young and old, urban and rural, outdoor adventurer and occasional visitor. Whether swimming, canoeing, fishing, hiking, camping, bird watching or roasting marshmallows over an open fire, provincial parks offer an array of activities for people throughout the province. Parks give us a way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday life – to turn off the computer, switch off the TV, leave the cell phone at home and reconnect with nature.
