Study Description

The purpose of the Southern Foothills Study (SFS) is to create a base of accurate data on cumulative land use trends within the study area.

The proposed study is important at this time in order to provide background data for informed land use planning and to understand the potential effect of all types of landuse development on an ecosystem which provides significant value to Alberta.

Many people who live and work in this area are concerned that the impending 'bow wave' of land use pressures which include such activities as recreation, mining, agriculture, residential acreages, and conventional and non-conventional oil and gas development will in a short space of time irreparably alter or damage this key watershed, the ecosystem and the culture that stewards it.

Read more about the study below.

Ecological Services and Other Benefits

The foothills of south western Alberta and the associated native fescue grassland are not just a signature landscape for the province. This unique area provides ongoing sustainable value to a large proportion of the population of southern Alberta as well as, to some extent, the entire province. This value includes ecological services such as clean water (a key watershed), clean air, a major sink of biotic carbon, and an important contiguous habitat for wildlife (many of them at risk). Other sustainable values include an important ranching industry, tourism, recreation, hunting, fishing, and movie-making.

Informed Planning

Decisions regarding future land use in this area need to be made with a clear understanding of their potential effect on this key watershed and important ecosystem where so many people live, work and enjoy life. This is why the results of the study are so important. They will provide government and local stakeholders with information and a tool to investigate the potential impact of both current practices and a range of possible future scenarios.

Cumulative Development

It is often not a single development but the cumulative effect of many land uses and developments over time that irrevocably changes a landscape. Too often we find ourselves in a situation of trying to mitigate or repair damage, and recover lost ecological services when proper planning could have avoided the loss in the first place. And in some instances it is not possible to restore what was lost. Ecosystems such as the native fescue grassland is one example. The Southern Foothills Study will focus on this critical aspect of planning - the cumulative effect of all land uses. With the current level of development pressures, this study of cumulative impacts on our unique southwestern Alberta landscape is not only timely, but critically important.

Regulatory Silos

One of the challenges to public policy is that many of the land uses operate under different regulatory regimes. The increasing population of southern Alberta will place huge pressures on a fixed land base as people and companies compete to access the natural capital on the surface as well as underground. How do we create a governance model that fairly and equitably balances decision making about land access between land owners, various levels of government, development companies, and the public? How do we create laws that allow us to set a maximum carrying capacity of a particular ecosystem, watershed or land area? The results of this study will provide information to help this discussion go forward.

For more information

contact:
info@salts-landtrust.org