Reality Check

The Manitoba Conservation listing of protected areas - by name and by type is the basis for this Reality Check.

Only nine parks/protected areas appear to have management plans - and only three of those have been prepared since 1999, when the current Manitoba government came to office. There is no public information available regarding management plans for other protected areas in Manitoba.

In Manitoba protected areas are; "land freshwater or marine areas, where logging mining, hydroelectric development, oil and gas development, and other activities that significantly and adversely affect habitat are prohibited through legal means." (Protecting Manitoba Outstanding Landscapes: Manitoba Protected Areas Initiative. 2008: 4)

Regulations under at least two acts or laws of Manitoba are required to establish a protected area, so that crown mineral rights are also withdrawn. Manitoba Wildlands releases an annual protected areas grade and audit each year.

Designations (under different acts plus a Mines Act regulation for each) used to establish a protected area include: provincial forest, ecological reserve, wildlife management area, park, park reserve. National parks in Canada involve transfer of provincial lands to Canada. Most national park lands are protected.

• February 2011 Manitoba Protected Areas Chart
• December 2008 Manitoba Wildlands - A Guide to Manitoba Protected Areas & Lands Protection
• Manitoba's Current Network of Protected Areas
• Manitoba Conservation - Parks and Natural Areas Management Planning