| About CCEA |  |
Partnerships | |
Current Projects | |
Publications | |
Job Opportunities | |
Donate |
| Français |
Mission Statement
The Canadian Council on Ecological Areas (CCEA) was incorporated in 1982 as a national, non-profit organization with a mission "to facilitate and assist Canadians with the establishment and management of a comprehensive network of protected areas representative of Canada's terrestrial and aquatic ecological natural diversity". It became a registered, charitable organization in 1995. (Short Fact Sheet in English or Français)
| Protected Areas are areas set aside through legislation or other effective means that are managed to protect selected ecological values through to whole ecosystem protection of Canada's terrestrial, aquatic or marine diversity. They range from areas that are undisturbed by humans to areas that have been modified by human activities but still retain significant ecological importance. |
CCEA provides services to its member agencies, the Canadian people and international community by:
- completing various projects that advance its mission (see Our Current Work);
- staging forums for discussion (see Conference Proceedings );
- using a number of communication vehicles to inform and to educate the larger protected area community and general public on a variety of protected area issues (see Publications and Tools).
CCEA's objectives for establishing, protecting and managing a representative and scientifically sound system of protected ecological areas are:
- to inform and to educate Canadians about the importance and roles of protected areas;
- to guide the design and completion of a network of Canadian protected areas including the full range of terrestrial and aquatic environments;
- to determine the ecological requirements and institutional arrangements needed to secure the integrity of protected area networks;
- to advance sound stewardship, management, monitoring and reporting of protected areas;
- to promote the environmental, social and economic values of protected areas in an ecosystem context; and,
- to facilitate the exchange of relevant information among interested partners through regional and national forums.
CCEA Plays an Important Role
The contribution of CCEA to advancing the agenda of protected ecological areas is essential to both Canadian jurisdictions and the international community for a variety of reasons:
- CCEA provides a national forum to discuss and build knowledge on the ecological values and importance, and establishment of protected ecological areas;
- CCEA is able to facilitate constructive dialogue among the diverse agendas, programs, and commitments of governments that affect protected ecological area programs;
- CCEA is able to assess and to synthesize jurisdictional activities and progress into a national picture; and,
- CCEA is able to present a unified Canadian perspective to international agencies that require national level input.
| Why protected ecological areas are important to CCEA For the past two decades CCEA has worked to maintain Canada’s heritage of ecologically significant areas. With ongoing changes within government, society, and the environment, protected areas remain an important window into our collective past, as well as an essential part of a sustainable future. They help us to describe and understand the historical patterns and processes that affect the distribution and viability of native species and ecosystems. If properly selected, designed and managed, protected area networks will be the backbone and foundation of working landscapes that are being developed to address our wide-ranging societal values and needs. They are repositories of both the ecological knowledge and biological legacies that we need in order to sustain natural and human communities. They are places where research, passive recreation, the protection of species and their habitats can co-exist, within in a world that is rapidly being modified by human activities. |
Accomplishments of CCEA
Since its inception in 1982, CCEA has addressed its objectives in a variety of ways. Some of these are briefly mentioned below:
Research: Relying on a multidisciplinary network of managers, scientists and policy-makers, CCEA provides leadership by undertaking and facilitating discussion on ecosystem-based research, and links between ecosystems, the economy and society.
Information Bases: CCEA initially developed the Canadian Conservation Areas Database (CCAD), a listing of Canada's diverse network of protected areas, and, with its partners, continues to guide its evolution and uses.
Jurisdictional Reports: Through annual jurisdictional reporting of conservation achievements, CCEA provides an important service to help share and compare progress on the creation and management of protected areas.
Conferences/Workshops: CCEA has held numerous conferences and workshops on topical issues that have enabled jurisdictional representatives, non-governmental participants and various other protected area experts to exchange information.
Publications: CCEA publishes conference and workshop proceedings, occasional papers, a newsletter, and fact sheets on various protected area topics.
Web site: CCEA maintains a website containing information on its publications, information on upcoming workshops and other activities and information on Council.
Gold Leaf Awards: CCEA annually recognizes the achievement of a wide variety of protected area experts, supporters, practitioners, and organizations at all levels of society.
Working Groups: CCEA has established working groups to share approaches and develop strategies on key issues affecting protection and conservation such as climate change and ecological integrity.
| Home | |
Intranet | |
Site map | |
Site Administrator | |