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 French)
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);
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 has also achieved success by providing advice and
assistance to international, national, provincial/territorial and local
agencies on matters dealing with protected areas and ecosystem conservation.
Refer to the current business
plan to see how CCEA will continue to provide essential products and
services to agencies and organizations involved in the conservation of protected
ecological areas.
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.
