Protected Areas

In every CPAWS campaign we work to protect our lands and waters, but what do we really mean by protection?

The Government of Manitoba has released a fact sheet about protected and conserved areas in the province, outlining what they are, how they work, and what they mean for communities, wildlife, and land use.

We’ve pulled out some key highlights and created this FAQ to address some of the most common questions and misconceptions we’ve received about protected areas. While we encourage everyone to read the full document for a complete understanding, we hope this blog helps everyone understand what protected areas mean for Manitobans.

In Manitoba’s provincial fact sheet about protected and conserved areas, they state:

“Protected areas are defined land and water areas managed over the long term, through legal or other effective means, to conserve biodiversity, ecosystems and cultural values. The focus is on protecting a sample of all habitats found in Manitoba and by extension, the species that call them home. From arctic tundra to boreal forests, wetlands to grasslands and everything in between.

In Manitoba, examples of these areas include provincial parks, ecological reserves, wildlife management areas, provincially significant peatlands, and other designated Crown lands, municipal lands, national parks, and private lands owned by land trusts…”

From the Manitoba government fact sheet:
“When making new protected areas on Crown land, Manitoba uses mechanisms that are already in place under provincial legislation such as The Provincial Parks Act or The Wildlife Act. There are established processes to ensure that the public and interested parties have a chance to provide input. Local and Indigenous knowledge, western scientific knowledge, and information on potential developments and economic opportunities are all considered. People influence the environment and cannot be separated from it. Public input is an important part of the protected areas planning process. Manitoba’s Protected Areas Initiative focuses on Crown lands not private lands.”

From the Manitoba government fact sheet:
“In protected areas, activities such as ecotourism, licensed hunting, fishing, and trapping, lodge operations and outfitting, haying and grazing, winter roads, and other compatible activities are generally allowed if they are not harmful to the habitats being protected.”

For CPAWS Manitoba, we’ve never advocated for restricting access to hunting, fishing, or other traditional land uses. Our work has consistently upheld the principle that conservation and sustainable land use can go hand in hand. One of our key mandates is “connecting people with nature.”

At CPAWS Manitoba, we work to protect Manitoba’s lands and waters to support biodiversity and curb climate change. Our campaigns support creating protected areas, to help us get to 30% protection by 2030, to maintain biodiversity and the benefits it provides for people and wildlife.

As a consensus-seeking organization, we work with all involved to create solutions for nature. This includes crown governments, Indigenous governments, rightsholders, stakeholders, and the public at large.

One of the ways we help protect our lands and waters is by partnering with Indigenous communities to establish protected areas within their ancestral territories.

Many of the campaigns we’re involved in include providing avenues for individuals to conveniently express their support for specific protected area initiatives. These avenues come in the form of physical postcards and emails that are sent to the Manitoba government. We’ve been known to deliver thousands of postcards directly to the Premier or the Environment and Climate Change Minister when we meet with them.

Every letter, email, or phone call gets recorded by the province. This approach is a tried and true way of letting the government know the priorities of Manitobans. This mass public demand inspires our elected leaders to act to protect nature.

CPAWS is supportive of establishing protected lands and waters, which means keeping areas natural, to be available for sustainable and legal land-based activities.

From the Manitoba government fact sheet:
“An Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) is an area where the purpose, development, establishment, and ongoing management reflect and enable Indigenous culture, interests and leadership. IPCAs vary by the place, jurisdictional landscape, the goals and values of the communities leading their development, and the partners involved.

Manitoba has worked positively with Indigenous nations on protected areas, and the Manitoba government is committed to working with Indigenous communities and the federal government to explore how IPCAs can help support management of traditional territories in Manitoba and build Manitoba’s network of protected and conserved areas for the benefit of all Manitobans.”