The politicization of protected areas establishment in Canada
Environmental issues and related policy instruments are becoming increasingly politicized in the Canadian context, but it is unclear whether biodiversity conservation and protected areas are similarly politicized. Here, we suggest that the political characteristics of protected areas do not lend the...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | FACETS |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0069 |
| _version_ | 1818926647840079872 |
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| author | Brianna Scrimshaw Botchwey Caitlin Cunningham |
| author_facet | Brianna Scrimshaw Botchwey Caitlin Cunningham |
| author_sort | Brianna Scrimshaw Botchwey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Environmental issues and related policy instruments are becoming increasingly politicized in the Canadian context, but it is unclear whether biodiversity conservation and protected areas are similarly politicized. Here, we suggest that the political characteristics of protected areas do not lend themselves easily to politicization, but data from the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database indicate that at the federal level, and provincially in Alberta, the rate of protected areas establishment is becoming increasingly tied to electoral politics, suggesting some politicization. We situate these trends within federal electoral politics between 2006 and the present, outlining the differing approaches of the Harper Conservatives and the Trudeau Liberals and showing how both administrations instrumentalized the environment and protected areas for their own electoral benefits. We find similar trends in Alberta with the Progressive Conservative, New Democratic Party, and United Conservative Party governments. However, while there is increasing polarization in practice, there has been less polarization of the electoral rhetoric surrounding protected areas. This politicization represents a barrier to conservation in Canada as it can lead to greenwashing, poor accountability, or the creation of an anti-conservation constituency. At the same time, politicization can raise the profile of conservation in public discourse, leading to greater public interest and engagement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T03:00:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c58469869234d64a32b995d059e4960 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2371-1671 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T03:00:27Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | FACETS |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c58469869234d64a32b995d059e49602022-12-21T19:55:47ZengCanadian Science PublishingFACETS2371-16712021-01-01611146116710.1139/facets-2020-0069The politicization of protected areas establishment in CanadaBrianna Scrimshaw Botchwey0Caitlin Cunningham1Department of Political Science, School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, CanadaSchool for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, CanadaEnvironmental issues and related policy instruments are becoming increasingly politicized in the Canadian context, but it is unclear whether biodiversity conservation and protected areas are similarly politicized. Here, we suggest that the political characteristics of protected areas do not lend themselves easily to politicization, but data from the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database indicate that at the federal level, and provincially in Alberta, the rate of protected areas establishment is becoming increasingly tied to electoral politics, suggesting some politicization. We situate these trends within federal electoral politics between 2006 and the present, outlining the differing approaches of the Harper Conservatives and the Trudeau Liberals and showing how both administrations instrumentalized the environment and protected areas for their own electoral benefits. We find similar trends in Alberta with the Progressive Conservative, New Democratic Party, and United Conservative Party governments. However, while there is increasing polarization in practice, there has been less polarization of the electoral rhetoric surrounding protected areas. This politicization represents a barrier to conservation in Canada as it can lead to greenwashing, poor accountability, or the creation of an anti-conservation constituency. At the same time, politicization can raise the profile of conservation in public discourse, leading to greater public interest and engagement.https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0069albertacanadaprotected areaspoliticizationconservation |
| spellingShingle | Brianna Scrimshaw Botchwey Caitlin Cunningham The politicization of protected areas establishment in Canada FACETS alberta canada protected areas politicization conservation |
| title | The politicization of protected areas establishment in Canada |
| title_full | The politicization of protected areas establishment in Canada |
| title_fullStr | The politicization of protected areas establishment in Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | The politicization of protected areas establishment in Canada |
| title_short | The politicization of protected areas establishment in Canada |
| title_sort | politicization of protected areas establishment in canada |
| topic | alberta canada protected areas politicization conservation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0069 |
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