canada's environment

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About Environment Canada

At Environment Canada, our business is protecting theenvironment, conserving the country's natural heritage, and

providing weather and meteorological information to keepCanadians informed and safe.

Environment Canada is building on its accomplishments with theenvironment through credible science, effective regulations andlegislation, successful partnerships, and high-quality servicedelivery to Canadians.

We support sound environmental decisions. We work to repairthe damage of the past, to collect and pass on knowledge, and todevelop, implement and enforce policies to prevent future issues.We also work to ensure that Canadians have a safe, clean andsustainable environment today, tomorrow and well into thefuture.

Environment Canada is a diverse organization where ourprograms, services, and people lead the way in implementing theGovernment of Canadas environmental agenda. We collaboratewith our partners at home and abroad, to realize concreteprogress on initiatives that will protect the health of our people

and our planet.

Our Mandate

Environment Canada's mandate is to

preserve and enhance the quality of the natural environment,including water, air, soil, flora and fauna;

conserve Canada's renewable resources;

conserve and protect Canada's water resources;

forecast daily weather conditions and warnings, and providedetailed meteorological information to all of Canada;

enforce rules relating to boundary waters; and

coordinate environmental policies and programs for the federalgovernment.

Our People


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Our workforce is made up of knowledgeable and dedicatedemployees from diverse backgrounds that are proud of thecontribution they make to the environment. We have over 7000employees from a broad range of fields including biology,chemistry, meteorology, climatology, engineering, commerce,communications, engineering, law enforcement, environmentalsciences, hydrology, informatics, law, library science, policy, andmore.

Our employees work in over 100 communities across thecountry, from Iqaluit to Toronto and Vancouver to St. John's.Over 65 per cent of our workforce is located outside of Ottawa.

Our diverse expertise strengthens our ability to deal withincreasingly complex and changing environmental issues. From

the Canadian Ice Service to the Canadian Hurricane Centre, fromlaboratories and weather stations to national wildlife areas andfield officesour people deliver quality services.

Climate Change Research

Our climate change research focuses on climate change andvariability in Canada, the causes and the impacts. Our approachincludes: field and laboratory research aimed at understanding

climate processes; monitoring atmospheric greenhouse gases totrack and understand changes; and developing and applyingof climate models to make projections of future change. Ourscientific results provide the basis for adaptation and mitigationactions, for climate policy and development, and for climate-related services and products for Canadians.

Meteorological and Weather Research

Environment Canada maintains a meteorological research and

development capacity that provides the department with theresearch necessary to improve weather and environmentalprediction. The meteorological research and developmentprogram is the scientific foundation on which the weather andenvironmental prediction programs of Environment Canada arebuilt. This research leads to Canadians receiving better advancedwarning of severe weather events, and helps everyone protect


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themselves, their families and their property from harm.

Air Quality Research

Our science and research helps us to protect Canada's air quality.

We study and measure air pollutants that can alter theatmosphere and affect human health, including acid rain,persistent organic pollutants, ground-level ozone, particulatematter, mercury, and substances that deplete the ozone layer.Our research is based on an integrated and multidisciplinaryapproach, which includes the study of the science of air issues,from the source of pollutants, and their transportation andinteractions in the atmosphere, to the impacts on health and theenvironment.

Our air quality science and research supports the development ofregulations, guidelines and policies as well as addressingCanada's international obligations. Our work also helps to keepCanadians informed about changes in air quality and thepotential impacts on their health, by providing the scienceneeded for the Environment Canada's daily forecasts of airquality and UV.

Water

Water research includes research into water quantity and waterquality. EC's thousands of water observing stations acrossCanada monitor water bodies for changes in water levels and forpollutants, such as toxic substances generated by industrial,agricultural and domestic uses.

This research is used to set Canada-wide standards forsubstances including mercury, petroleum hydrocarbons, dioxinsand furans.

NatureBecause Canada has such a significant share of the earth'snatural ecosystems25 per cent of wetland ecosystems, 15 percent of forests and 16 per cent of Arctic ecosystemsEnvironment Canada plays an important role as environmentalsteward.


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Our nature research, which supports activities to preservebiodiversity and natural areas in Canada, is used to

develop recovery plans for species;

identify and conserve or restore ecologically important areas;

monitor migratory bird populations; and

track ecosystem health.

Top of Page

Our Enforcement Activities

Environment Canadas Enforcement Branch is responsible forCanada's environmental and wildlife legislation. The Branch also

participates in the development and administration of severalother acts, as well as advises various federal agencies on otherpieces of legislation.

Our enforcement activities relate to areas including themanufacture and use of toxic substances, import and export ofhazardous wastes and materials, migratory birds, endangeredspecies, and the protection of domestic water and water sharedinternationally. Our enforcement officers work with industries,businesses, farmers, provinces, municipalities, customs officials,

hunters, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Fisheries andOceans Canada, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Theyalso testify in court, work undercover on smuggling operations,and conduct field inspections, investigations and intelligenceactivities.

Our Environmental Promotion Activities

To protect, conserve and enhance the environment, we help

shape how Canadians think about the environment. We are doingthis by sharing knowledge, developing and supportingpartnerships, and establishing economic incentives to supportsound environmental decisions.

Compiling our research into information tools such as theCanadian Bird Trends database, Hinterland's Who's Who, the


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National Pollutant Release Inventory, emission forecasts andtrends, and engineering climatology products and services helpsus increase awareness, show trends, and build capacity forenvironmental best practices.

Our Key Partners

We cannot tackle environmental issues alone. Partnerships are afundamental way of doing business at Environment Canada.

Our key partners include:

citizens

non-governmental groups

research facilities

other federal departments

provincial and territorial governments

Aboriginal peoples

private sector organizations

international organizations

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CitizensCanadians are becoming increasingly involved in assessing thestate of their environment and bringing about change. Programssuch as Plant Watch and Frog Watch, launched by theEnvironmental Monitoring and Assessment Network with thesupport of local communities, help assess the state of Canada'senvironment.

Non-governmental GroupsNon-governmental organizations across the country-at thecommunity, regional and national level-are actively carrying outprojects related to clean air, nature, clean water, and climatechange. These organizations are dedicated to making a positiveimpact on the environment, and play an important role in manyof EC's public engagement activities. For example, with ECs
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support, community groups across Canada have taken action,improving their local environment with positive and sustainableresults.

Research Facilities

EC has partnerships with other research facilities; federal,provincial and territorial agencies; and universities to work onspecific projects. These partnerships allow researchers to shareexpertise, pool resources and equipment, and avoid duplicatingefforts.

Other Federal DepartmentsEnvironment Canada works with the other federal departmentsthat deal with natural resources. The five natural resourcedepartmentsAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fisheries andOceans Canada, Health Canada, Natural Resources Canada, andEnvironment Canadacollaborate on research, share successstories, and disseminate information. This helps Canadiansunderstand sustainable development issues and equips them tomake and support informed decisions about sustainable

development and the environment.

Provincial and Territorial Governments

The Government of Canada shares jurisdiction overenvironmental matters with the provinces and territories. ECworks with provincial and territorial governments to developpolicies and programs, undertake research, share successstories, and provide information on environmental issues of

national and regional importance.

These relationships are fostered through bilateral agreements aswell as through the Canadian Council of Ministers of theEnvironment and other multilateral fora on specific issues such asdomestic and international climate change, wildlife, species atrisk and ecological areas, water, and environmental protection.
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Aboriginal Peoples

EC works with the governments, communities, and organizationsof the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada-First Nations, Mtis andInuit-to advance the Departments programs and priorities, andto support Aboriginal environmental stewardship and objectives.This includes partnerships for the implementation ofenvironmental legislation and programs, such as the Species atRisk Act.

Private Sector Organizations

Our partnerships with the private sector include work withindustries such as the textile, dry-cleaning, pulp and paper, andwood preservatives industries to ensure compliance withenvironmental regulations and facilitate the adoption of pollutionprevention measures.

International Organizations

Environment Canada is involved in at least seven United Nations

organizations, including the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme, the World Meteorological Organization, and theCommission on Sustainable Development.

EC also participates in other international organizations such asthe Arctic Council, the G-8, and the Inter-American Institute forGlobal Change, and has signed several bilateral agreements withindividual countries.

Top of Page

The Beginning

Environment Canada was created on June 11, 1971, fromelements of the Government of Canada such as theMeteorological Service of Canada (established in 1871) and the


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Canadian Wildlife Service (established in 1947).

The Department began operation with five services:

Atmospheric Environment Service

Environmental Protection Service Fisheries Service

Land, Forest and Wildlife Service

Water Management Service

The architects of the early Department of Environmentenvisioned an organization that would act as ecosystemmanager, incorporate ecological concerns into decision making,and be built on concepts now known as ecosystem-basedmanagement.

The 1970s saw improvements to the Atmospheric EnvironmentService's Weather Service, with bilingual forecasts initiated inOntario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces, and with wind chillforecasts in Saskatchewan. In addition to this, the Weatheradiosystem was established, and the Canadian Climate Centre wascreated.

In 1979, organizational changes led to the Fisheries Serviceleaving the Department of Environment to form the Department

of Fisheries and Oceans.

In the 1980s, Canada hosted the first International Conferenceon Acid Rain, and the Department of Environment launched thefirst of what would be a series of ecosystem initiatives with theGreat Lakes Action Plan. The Action Plan opened the doors to anew way of doing business for the department. Using anintegrated ecosystem approach incorporating water, air, wildlife,habitat, and pollution in the Great Lakes Basin, the departmentbegan to act as a catalyst, seeking collaboration among all

interested parties. The launch of the Action Plan was thebeginning of the Great Lakes clean-up and of our ecosystemapproach, which is still the foundation of our work today.

Continuing to Evolve

As a department, we continue to evolve in response to the needs


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of our clients and partners. From our initial mandate in 1970 toprotect the biosphere, we moved to an integrated ecosystemapproach in the 1980s and included the concept of sustainabledevelopment in Canada's Green Plan in the 1990s.

Today, Environment Canada continues to balance the need toprotect the environment while growing the economy withregulatory frameworks to address air emissions, greenhousegases, wastewater, and chemicals. Integrating environmentalconsiderations into decision-making processes for projects asvaried as mining and construction to the 2010 Olympic WinterGames is a natural demonstration of commitment to a foundationof sustainable development.

Economy needs firms to ramp up andlook to the east for markets, CarneysaysBy Julian Beltrame, The Canadian Press | April 02, 2012

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Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney speaks to the Greater Kitchener-WaterlooChamber of Commerce in Waterloo, Ontario on Monday April 2, 2012. THE CANADIAN

PRESS/Frank Gunn

OTTAWA - Canada's economy is underperfoming because firmshave failed to take advantage of turbo-speed growth in emergingmarkets, says Mark Carney, citing the worst post-slump tradeperformance in six decades.In a speech prepared for a Kitchener-Waterloo business audienceMonday, the Bank of Canada governor characterized the country'sexport record since 2000 as a dismal failure.It is the worst post-recession record of any recovery since World War

II, he said, adding that aside from the United Kingdom, it is currentlythe worst in the G20 club of major economic nations.Carney wants Canadian businesses to turn their attention away fromtraditional markets like the U.S. and focus on booming economies in

Asia."Exports have not regained their pre-crisis peak, and in fact remainbelow their level of a decade ago," he said. "The combination ofoverexposure to the U.S. market and underexposure to faster-growing emerging markets is almost entirely responsible."

Referring to Canada's current economy, Carney had relativelypositive things to say.With Europe's debt problems ameliorating he suggested it is nolonger a crisis and as the U.S. recovery picks up steam, theheadwinds that have held back Canada's economy are abating.But the domestic engine of Canadian growth has essentially run outof fuel, he cautioned. Consumers are heavily in debt and tapped out,


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and growth in construction for homes has also run its course, sinceemployment in the sector is now at a 35-year-high.For the economy to expand in the future, it must ramp up on exports,and businesses must become more innovative and invest inmachinery and equipment, he said."This was essentially a pep talk for business," said economist MichaelGregory of BMO Capital Markets."My sense is he really wants the business sector to really ramp upbecause the economy can sure use it, and it is also essential tosurvival."Carney has pounded the drum for Canadian firms to invest andbroaden their horizons beyond the safe and close U.S. market foryears. Monday's speech was different in that he was the mostdetailed in amassing his evidence and most assertive in

recommending a course of action.The fact is that Canada as an exporting nation has been sliding inimportance since 2000, being outpaced in the race for markets byothers by about five percentage points annually.

As a part of the total global export market, Canada has gone from ashare of 4.5 per cent to about 2.5 per cent and the country's exportsof manufactured goods have been cut in half, he added, a largereason why employment in the factory sector has fallen nearly500,000 jobs.Part of the trend is due to the strong Canadian dollar reducingcompetitiveness, he said, but not all, and not most. More important isthat Canadian firms still trade primarily with the slow-growing U.S.,where the dollar comparison is most likely to do damage.That model of trade is played out. The dollar is unlikely to retreat inrelation to the U.S. currency, the American economy is entering aprotracted period of slow growth, and commodity prices are going tostay high."In short, our underperformance prior to the crisis was more areflection of who we traded with than how effectively we did it,"

Carney said, a situation that has been exacerbated the recession."It doesn't have to be this way," he added. "Germany has maintainedits market share in manufactured goods be exporting capital goodsand autos to China, and more broadly emerging-market economies.

Australia has gained substantial market share in its exports ofcommodities to fill rising demand from China."The alarming message underscores the reason the Harper


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government has made trade, particularly to China, India, Brazil andother emerging powers, a key priority in its economic agenda.Over the past year, the prime minister and his trade point man, EdFast, have hop-scotched across Asia, making trips to India, China,Japan, Indonesia and Korea, at each stop announcing new tradedeals or negotiations. The government has also expressed interest in

joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a fast-emerging trade block thatmay necessitate abandoning the country's supply managementsystem in dairy and poultry.Carney's prescription is for businesses to gear up by becoming morecompetitive and shift their focus to where growth is.He notes that since the recession, emerging markets haveaccounting for two-thirds of global growth and one-half of importgrowth, a trend expected to continue for decades. This won't change

in the foreseeable future, he said."This is where Canadian businesses must increasingly look forgrowth," Carney concluded.

How changes in the demographic andeconomic environments affect marketingdecisions?

Changing factors in the demographic environment that affectmarketing decisions include the shifting age structure of the Canadianpopulation, the changing Canadian family, geographic shifts inpopulation, a better-educated and more white-collar workforce, andincreasing ethnic and racial diversity. Economic trends include changesin income and income distribution, and changes in consumer spendingpatterns.Demography is the study of the characteristics of human populations.

Today's demographic environment shows a changing age structure,shifting family profiles, geographic population shifts, a better educatedand more white-collar population, and increasing diversity. Theeconomic environment consists of factors that affect buying power andpatterns.The economic environment is characterized by more consumer concernfor value in shifting consumer spending patterns. Today's squeezed


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consumers are seeking greater value -- just the right combination ofgood quality and service at a fair price. The distribution of income alsois shifting. The rich have grown richer, the middle class has shrunk,and the poor have remained for, leading to a two-tiered market. Manycompanies now tailor their marketing offers to two different markets--

the affluent and the less affluent.

Geographic FactorsVarious factors, including the diversity of rockformations, soils, climate, wildlife, vegetation and people, present specialconservation problems. Canada's land area is vast, its human populationrelatively small, and people with limited funds can do relatively little topreserve and manage extensive resources. Canada encompasses an area of9.98 million km2 and has the longest coastline (202 080 km including majorisland coastlines) in the world. The land ascends from sea level on the shoresof the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic OCEANS to MOUNTAINS as high as 5959 min the CORDILLERA.

The huge northern plains, east of the Cordillera, contain fertile agriculturalsoils and immense energy reserves in the form of coal and PETROLEUMresources. The CANADIAN SHIELD, a mass of mineral-rich Precambrianrocks, forms the core of central Canada, and glaciation has moulded thelandforms over large areas. The climate of Canada varies from harshlycontinental (cold dry winters, hot summers) to mildly oceanic; wintertemperatures can be below -40C, summer days 35C or more.

Average annual temperatures range from -19C to -10C in the ArcticArchipelago to 10C in southwestern BC. Greater than 42% of Canada's landsurface is covered by forests, 29% by tundra, 10% by peatland, and about5% by grassland, each with its own type of wildlife. After Brazil and Russia,

Canada has the largest amount of renewable water resources in the form ofrunoff and streamflow (on average, 3435 km3 per year, which is nearlyenough to fill an empty Lake Huron). Of the total land area in Canada, 11.7%is water but only 3% is located where people live. The nation's resourcesextend onto the Continental Shelf, which is known to contain considerablequantities of minerals and oil and natural gas. The lakes, rivers and oceansalso contain fish and mammals of considerable economic importance.a

Renewable versus NonrenewableRenewable and nonrenewableresources require different conservation approaches. To enable society to userather than consume resources, ECOSYSTEMS such as forests, tundra andgrasslands must be maintained. Such maintenance involves management of

the genetic base (vegetation, animals) and the environment (water, air,light, soil) to preserve productivity, genetic diversity and renewal processes.

Conservation of nonrenewable resources (eg, minerals, fossil fuels) requiresdevelopment of policies to avoid waste (eg, by oil spills, gas flaring), topromote wise use and encourage recycling, to minimize adverse effects ofmineral extraction on renewable resources and to develop renewablesubstitutes.
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Uses of renewable and nonrenewable resources are interdependent; neithercan be exploited or managed in complete isolation. Excessive use ("mining")of renewable resources may transform them into unrenewable losses, aswhen forest depletion leads to desert formation or an animal species ishunted to extinction, such as happened to the PASSENGER PIGEON andGREAT AUK..

History of ConservationIt is difficult to cite a beginning ofconservation in Canada. First Nations peoples possessed spiritual beliefs that,whether deliberately environmental or not, restrained their exploitation ofnature. Early European settlers enacted localized game laws designed toprotect bird and wildlife species from overhunting. But there was a general,well-established belief in North America in the "myth of superabundance":that resources were so vast as to be inexhaustible.

The late 19th century saw the emergence of what has been called "the firstconservation movement." This movement has been linked to a growing trustin scientific management and a shift in control of resources from rural people

to urban elites. The 1882 American Forestry Congress in Montreal, whichbrought together university-trained foresters and industry leaders to discussforest conservation, supported forest protection through fire suppression, thecreation of reserves for forestry (not reserves from forestry) and othermeasures which tended to favour large industrial interests more than smallwoodlot operators. A similar trend can be seen in WILDLIFE CONSERVATION,with urban people who saw wildlife in sporting terms creating restrictivehunting seasons and expensive licenses, while rural inhabitants who reliedupon wildlife for subsistence or livelihood were obliged to conform.

The birth of the Canadian NATIONAL PARKS system may be seen as anotheroffshoot of conservationist thinking. The federal government created BANFF

NATIONAL PARK in 1885 not because of sentimental or environmentalconcern, but simply to make the best economic use of it, since the Rockieswere deemed unsuitable for much of anything but tourism. However,underlying this was an assumption that parks would become popular, forsociety was increasingly turning to nature in this period for reasons thatcannot be considered economic.

The high-water mark of early conservationism came in 1909 with thecreation of the federal COMMISSION OF CONSERVATION. This was anadvisory body composed of academics, federal and provincial governmentministers, and other interested parties, with the sweeping mandate toconsider and improve upon the utilization of all Canadian natural resources.

The commission played an important role in the passage of the 1917 US-Canada Migratory Birds Convention Act, but perhaps its greatest legacy is itspublication of some 200 reports, which improved knowledge of theenvironment and aided in the formulation of public policy for decades.However, the resource-intensive economic boom that followed the FirstWorld War led to the commission's demise.

Private interests kept the spirit of conservation alive in the decades thatfollowed. The HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY operated a series of nature reserves
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that depended upon local peoples, in particular First Nations. Jack MINER,described as "Canada's first celebrity conservationist," became known for hiswork banding birds on his family homestead in Kingsville, Ont, and grew intoan advocate for the creation ofBIRD SANCTUARIES and protectivelegislation. Nongovernmental conservation organizations also began toemerge. The Federation of Ontario Naturalists (now Ontario Nature) wasestablished in 1931 to preserve wildlands for their intrinsic value. And DUCKSUNLIMITED CANADA, established in 1938 in tandem with a sister Americanorganization, represented the interests of hunters who required thepreservation of wetlands.

In the 1960s and 1970s, issues ranging from nuclear fallout to overcrowdingin parks led to rising societal concern as to whether nature couldaccommodate humans' unrestrained use of it. While some have called thisperiod "the second conservation movement," for many the term"conservation" now seemed too utilitarian - the more scientific "ecology" andthen the more comprehensive "environmental" gained prominence.

A rash of new nature-minded organizations sprang up. The rapiddisappearance of natural spaces led to the 1962 creation of the NatureConservancy of Canada, focused on protecting ecologically-significant landfirst in southern Ontario and then throughout Canada. The National andProvincial Parks Association of Canada organized in 1963 to counteract thepressure of commercial development within wilderness parks; it has sinceevolved into the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, intent on preservingone-half of the country's public land forever wild for the public trust.Canadians also created national offshoots of American and globalconservation groups. The WORLD WILDLIFE FUND CANADA, an offshoot ofthe international organization, was founded in 1967. The Sierra Club openedprovincial offices in British Columbia and Ontario in the late 1960s, andestablished national operations in 1989.e

Demographic FactorsThe population of Canada has doubled since1960, which has made the nation's people more aware of the degradation ofits natural resources and the alarming long-term consequences of thiscontinuing process. The need to conserve resources and developconservation policies involving ecological, economic, social, ethical, politicaland legal factors has become increasingly apparent.

Canada's great regional disparity in economic development tends to focusattention on the short-term solution of economic problems rather than on thelong-term consequences of resource use; hence, resource exploitation often

takes priority over wise management and preservation (seeREGIONALECONOMICS).)

Human FactorsHuman activities are responsible for many conservationproblems, although natural disturbances also have considerable impact.Technological innovations allow increasingly rapid and efficient harvesting offorests, agricultural crops, wildlife and fish. In forestry, chain saws,mechanical harvesters and on-site tree chippers allow the quick and efficientharvest of huge numbers of trees, including stems, branches and leaves.
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Forest renewal technology has developed much less rapidly. Forest-harvesting activities, forest fires, unsuccessful farming attempts andinadequate reforestation have resulted in a backlog of millions of hectares offorest land that has failed to regenerate with commercially useful trees.

Heavy harvesting and processing equipment has been developed for the

proposed extraction of energy from Canada's peatlands, placing one of theworld's major reserves of carbon under threat. Canada's natural grasslandshave been nearly depleted through plowing for agriculture.

The development of electronic equipment for locating fish shoals has madefishing more efficient, and the pollution of freshwater lakes by industry hasled to serious problems of eutrophication, thereby reducing fish populationsand recreational values (seeWATER POLLUTION). In spite of attempts torestock lakes and rivers, overfishing in many accessible areas has reducedfish populations.

Wildlife remains an important food source for some of Canada's Indigenouspeoples, and provides recreation for hunters, as well as considerable

revenues. In many cases, wildlife populations are seriously threatened byhabitat destruction and by easier access to remote areas by snow vehiclesand helicopters. Large mammals and sensitive species are particularlyvulnerable. Migratory herds ofCARIBOU in northern Canada are threatenedby increasing industrial activity in their main habitats and along migrationroutes. Disturbance by visitors to bird colonies may inadvertently reducenesting success.

Human activities have conversely also provided new habitats, enabling somespecies to expand into areas where they were formerly scarce or absent.Extensive monoculture cropping practices have resulted in increases of somespecies (eg, red-winged blackbird) to the extent that they become pests, but

have caused a marked decrease in species diversity. Exotic wildlife,vegetation and insects have been introduced to Canada. Some have beenharmless or possibly beneficial, but many have had disastrous effects (eg,emerald ash borer or Asian carp).

SOIL CONSERVATION, the maintenance of soil stability and fertility, is vital ifwater quality and food, wood, fibre and other crops are to be sustained forfuture generations. The massive soil erosion and desert formation infarmlands of western North America in the 1930s illustrate the consequenceof inadequate soil management (seeDROUGHT; GREAT DEPRESSION).Intensive agricultural practices led to widespread reduction of vital organicmatter in agricultural soils. Large areas of fertile agricultural soils continue to

be destroyed each year by expansion of cities onto productive farmland.Soil stability has long been impaired in some areas (eg, mountainous areasof BC) by forest harvesting, forest road construction and slash burning, butprovincial agencies responsible for the management of natural resources arenow paying increased attention to environmental concerns. Delays inreplacing trees after harvesting result in heavy losses of soil nitrogen causedby the accelerated mineralization of soil organic matter. The trend towardusing high-yielding tree species and shorter rotations involves an inherent
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risk of accelerating nutrient removal and reducing soil fertility.

Considerable proportions of high-grade mineral ores and readily accessiblefossil fuels, particularly oil, have been consumed since the mid 1900s tomeet the increasing demands of an industrial society and exports.Consequently, industry must now rely on lower-grade or relatively

inaccessible mineral and fossil-fuel resources which are costly to locate,extract, transport and process.e

Legislation and Political ActivityCanada's federal structure, with itsnational, provincial and municipal levels of government, make the creationand implementation of environmental legislation complex (seeENVIRONMENTAL LAW). Provincial governments are responsible for the useand management of many of Canada's natural resources, so conservationmeasures often vary from province to province. However, some nationalstandards have been established by legislation such as the CanadianEnvironmental Protection Act and the Canadian Environmental AssessmentAct. The federal government is also responsible for national parks and for the

management and use of large areas of land in the 3 territories, as well asinternational aspects of pollution control, migratory birds, and the import andexport of plants and wildlife.

Conservation priorities in Canada have developed in the context of anindustrialized nation with a rapidly expanding, mainly urban population ofnow over 34 million people. Heavy and often conflicting demands are beingmade on the nation's vast but limited resources. Conservation provides aphilosophical and conceptual framework within which resources can beallocated in a manner in keeping with the needs, aspirations and advances ofsociety.

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canada's environment

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