| Chapter 6. Tools for Understanding and Monitoring Ecological Integrity |
| (6-8) We recommend that Parks Canada establish an ongoing park-based monitoring report of the state of each individual park's ecological integrity (see for example the State of Greater Fundy Ecosystem Report or Waterton's State of the Crown of the Continent Report). As outlined in recommendation 3-3, these reports should be done every five years, prior to management plan review. In addition, these reports should undergo a third-party review/audit and be made publicly available as part of an annual public reporting process. In using this report, the revised Park Management Plan should demonstrate how the proposed direction and specific management actions respond to the state of ecological integrity within the park (Chapter 3). The park-based State of the Park Report should include ... |
The two examples cited – State of the Greater Fundy Ecosystem Report and the State of the Crown of the Continent Report – provide good models for future park-level State of the Park Reports. |
UNDERWAY. The revised Parks Canada Guide to Management Planning requires that each park produce a new, park-level State of the Park Report at the outset of each management planning cycle. |
| (6-9) We recommend that Parks Canada continue to produce the national-level State of Parks Report with the following changes. The Minister should affirm that the primary purpose of the State of the Parks Report is to report on ecological integrity, regardless of whether the State of the Parks Report includes other integrated information. In addition the State of Parks Report should ... |
The Auditor General has reviewed the 1994 and 1997 State of the Parks Reports. Given the legislated requirement to produce the State of the Parks Report every two years, a third-party review and audit is not practical. |
As required by the new Canada National Parks Act and the Parks Canada Agency Act, Parks Canada will continue to produce the national-level State of the Parks Report (now called the State of Protected Heritage Areas Report), with a primary focus on the ecological integrity of Canada's national parks. A periodic audit will be built into internal audits as well as work with the Auditor General. |
| (6-10) We recommend that Parks Canada develop a formal and rigorous data collection approach for State of the Parks Reports. Specifically we recommend that Parks Canada ... |
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UNDER WAY - FUNDING. Parks Canada will continue to improve its data collection processes for the State of the Parks Report (now called the State of Protected Heritage Areas Report), taking account of the specific recommendations. The extent and timing of improvements in this area are subject to the availability of new funding. |
