aerial view of the river valley looking southwest from the east end of jasper avenue

The City of Edmonton's Natural Connections Strategic Plan and public engagement reports.

The North Saskatchewan River Valley is a regional biodiversity core area.

Natural Connections Integrated Conservation Plan is Edmonton's plan for the protection, management and restoration of local natural areas and biodiversity, and the engagement of the community in that effort. The plan applies an outcome-based, ecological network approach to the conservation of Edmonton's natural areas systems. It includes three components: a Strategic Plan, a Biodiversity Action Plan and a Biodiversity Report.

Natural Connections Integrated Conservation Plan supports the City's Natural Area Systems Policy C531.

Edmonton's Ecological Network

A healthy ecological network has several components:

  • A wide vegetation corridor along major watercourses, for example the North Saskatchewan River and its tributary watercourses
  • Several large natural areas known as core areas, for example Whitemud Ravine, Big Island
  • Connectivity for movement of species among the core habitat areas, either through wide, continuous corridors or a series of 'stepping stones', smaller natural areas throughout a more developed area
  • A diverse mixture of natural areas throughout the developed parts of the city that can serve as wildlife habitat or connect other, larger natural areas

Edmonton currently has all of the components of an ecological network. With careful planning that encourages the protection of these key elements and the restoration of degraded natural areas and linkages, this network could be sustainable in the long term.

Ecological Network Map - this map shows Edmonton's ecological network, including core areas, stepping stones and linkages.

Plan Development

The "Conserving Edmonton's Natural Areas: A Framework for Urban Conservation" was released in 2011 and outlines the strategies for conserving Edmonton's natural areas and facilitating broader community discussion. This report has two volumes:

Background Information

View the background reports and information about the development of Natural Connections, including the State of Natural Areas Report and the public engagement process.

Plan Development Documents

Natural Connections: An Overview
An overview of the Conservation Plan development process.

Integrated Conservation Plan - Update Report
Provides more detailed information on each of the three components of Plan development.

Visioning Background Summary Report
An overview of 49 conservation plans from around the English-speaking world, highlighting over 500 conservation goals and objectives. This report served as important background information during the development of Edmonton's Conservation Plan.

State of Natural Areas Report

In 2006, the City completed a State of Natural Areas Report, which provided the scientific basis for Natural Connections. The report was released to Edmontonians to kick-start the public engagement process, which began in late 2006.

Public Engagement Process

In 2006 and 2007, the City carried out an extensive public engagement process to seek community input on the development of the plan.

Natural Connections Public Involvement Plan 
Public Involvement Plan developed by the Office of Natural Areas - guided the Office's consultation of the public in advance of and during development of the Strategic Conservation Plan.

Public Engagement Request for Proposals 
Request for Proposals for the Public Engagement Process, which was carried out in November/December of 2006. Teleologic Strategic Communications Inc. was awarded the contract.   

Natural Connections Inter-departmental Working Group Project Charter 
Project charter for the Natural Connections internal working group, which included representation of each of the relevant City departments and contributed to the development of the Strategic Conservation Plan.  

Edmonton has a wide range of natural areas, including the North Saskatchewan River Valley and ravines and many smaller wetland and forest patches.

The City is committed to stewarding, preserving and protecting our natural areas.

A healthy ecological network is important for many reasons.

The City of Edmonton and the University of Alberta are collaborating on a project that uses remote cameras to monitor wildlife presence and abundance throughout Edmonton.