Natural Areas
Edmonton's Natural Areas
Edmonton has a wide range of natural areas, including forest, grassland, wetlands, lakes and riparian areas. The North Saskatchewan river valley and ravine system is the backbone of the city's natural area network. There are also many smaller habitat patches in Edmonton's older neighbourhoods, in newly developing areas, and in the agricultural areas at the edge of the city.
The role of the Office of Natural Areas is to ensure that these valuable natural areas are conserved and restored, and integrated into new development in a way that allows them to remain healthy and sustainable.
Where are Edmonton's Natural Areas?
An inventory and classification project carried out in 1993 designated 85 natural areas as a priority for conservation. Most of these natural areas are located on private property. While some have been lost in recent years, we have also been successful in conserving many of them.
This map shows the natural areas that were designated in the 1993 inventory:
Inventory Map of Edmonton's Environmentally Sensitive and Significant Areas
In 2006, the City updated the 1993 Inventory. The update involved analyzing 2005 air photos, and removing the portions of designated natural areas that had been lost since 1993. In addition, several smaller natural areas that were not included in the original inventory were added to the map. The resulting map shows the current state of natural areas (>1 ha in size) within the city, but does not take into account natural areas that may be lost in years to come through the planning process.
Inventory Map of Edmonton's Natural Areas (2005)
For more information:
Parks Branch - Office of Natural Areas
| Telephone | 311 |
|---|---|
| Fax | 780-496-5636 |
Parks - General Information
| Telephone | 311 Outside Edmonton: 780-442-5311 |
|---|---|
| Fax | 780-496-1150 |
| parks@edmonton.ca |
