Featured Article
Money Does Grow on Trees
Protected areas preserve the environment and create jobs.
By Patrick Lévêque and Stephen Moss, CPAWS-NL
Protecting natural areas, through parks and reserves, is often accused of being a barrier to economic growth by stopping all extraction of natural resources and development of industry. Though this may sometimes be the case, there are plenty of other ways to create economic opportunities from such areas.
Butter Pot Provincial Park, a popular camping destination for locals and visitors, provides recreational activities such as hiking, fishing, canoeing and swimming. The park attracts thousands of visitors every year, generating revenues for the park and in nearby towns. It is also a protected area, being home to 230 different plant species and over 200 species of birds.
Protected areas such as Butter Pot Park help preserve the natural habitats of various types of plants and animals, maintaining diversity in the environment. Protected areas also stimulate employment and other opportunities in the form of research, conservation, and scientific expeditions. Protected forests are also helping to combat climate change by absorbing carbon and reducing pollution.
A report prepared by LandTech Consulting Inc. for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter (CPAWS) in July 2005 examined the economic benefits of Butter Pot Park, noting that there were 72,092 visitors in 2005. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador reported that visitors to Provincial Parks spent $48.45 per day, hence, the total spending activity in Butter Pot Park was $3.53 Million.
Businesses in the area also reported a significant increase in revenue during the summer months, and LandTech points out that the park, and all other natural areas, enhances the overall tourist appeal of the region and the province, preserving it as a "special place".
Butter Pot is not the only protected area in the province to be successful. The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve has sprouted a very successful ecotourism industry in nearby towns. There are numerous boat tours taking place to the site, showing tourists the hundreds of thousands of birds that migrate there every year. Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Sight, is also another popular destination. Some of the activities supported by the area are boat tours, interpretation centres and educational camps, which add value to the economic prosperity in that area. Protected areas contribute to the province’s image as a pristine tourist destination, while generating economic opportunity and creating jobs, and preserve the natural beauty and integrity of the natural population.
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is a national non-profit membership-based conservation group that works to protect Canada's wild ecosystems in parks, wilderness and similar natural areas, preserving the full diversity of habitats and their species. Founded in 1963, CPAWS has 20,000 members across the country, in thirteen chapters, as well as a national office in Ottawa. The local CPAWS-NL chapter can be contacted through www.cpawsnl.org or 1-709-726-5800.