Program ID: Innovation Anthology #442
Program Date: 12/15/2011
Program Category: Conservation, Economy, Environment, Women in Science
Conserving Cooking Lake-Beaverhills Moraine
The Cooking Lake - Beaverhills Morraine in Strathcona County is a sensitive ecosystem.
There’s also tremendous pressure from urban sprawl, with a growing number of high income people who want to live on country estates.
The Beaverhills Initiative is a partnership between five jurisdictions that is investigating economic instruments as a means conserve the landscape.
Economist Dr. Marian Weber with Alberta Innovates Technology Futures explains.
DR MARIAN WEBER: So the objective is to increase the amount of area of intact natural habitat in the Cooking Lake Moraine area and also to increase connectivity of habitat and increase the number of wetlands that are conserved. And we would do that by not allowing subdivision or trying to discourage subdivision in that area and moving that density into areas more appropriate.
According to Dr. Marian Weber, Strathcona County is already very aggressive on conservation policies. So her challenge is to demonstrate that economic instruments such as transfer development credits on top of these other programs will lead to significant enough conservation benefits. Thanks today to Alberta Innovates Technology Futures
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
