Cumulative effects management
Adopting a cumulative effects management approach means we must evolve the present environmental management system to make sure the cumulative effects of development are considered as part of regular business. This is necessary if we are to effectively and efficiently protect the province’s water, air, land and biodiversity.
The Approach
Cumulative effects management is:- Outcomes-based: with clearly defined desired end states.
- Place-based: to meet the differing needs of regions within the province.
- Performance management-based: using adaptive approaches to ensure results are measured and achieved.
- Collaborative: built on a culture of shared stewardship, using a shared knowledge base.
- Comprehensively implemented: using both regulatory and non-regulatory approaches.
Under this approach, regional assessment and projections will be addressed over more meaningful geographic scales and time spans. Every landscape is different and will require unique environmental outcomes, so we need an environmental management system that will consider environmental effects of all development for a specific area.
Environmental regulation will continue to have its place in a cumulative effects management system, and companies will still need to know about and be held accountable to environmental requirements. Each department, board, and agency will continue to do their part to contribute to our province’s environmental protection. The cumulative effects management approach enables a wide range of non-regulatory and policy tools, including economic incentives, education and voluntary action to help achieve regional environmental objectives.
Our Progress
While it is not new to consider cumulative effects when managing the environment, it is becoming more formalized in our business and in the Government of Alberta as a whole. In 2007, Alberta Environment signaled this shift through consultations on a cumulative effects policy paper and through announcements of site-specific pilot projects.
The Government of Alberta took additional major steps in confirming this approach when it released the Land-use Framework (LuF) in December 2008, followed by the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA) in spring 2009. The Land-use Framework and ALSA divide the province into seven regions and commit the province to taking a cumulative effects approach to environment management. Regional Advisory Councils will advise the Government of Alberta, as each plan develops.
The transition to a cumulative effects management approach is continuing to evolve in Alberta. The shift will require integration and discussion with and between government ministries, other governments, industry sectors, municipalities, non-government organizations and all Albertans. More information on this transition will be posted as it becomes available.
