Alberta is internationally recognised as being a tourism destination with impressive natural and heritage resources, which are well showcased and interpreted for visitors, particularly within the parks and protected areas system. Studies have determined that park visitation at key protected areas will grow substantially over the next couple of decades. Already, there are areas in Alberta which have such demand for accommodation and other services, that current accommodation is insufficient to meet their needs. And as populations are aging, such visitors are more likely to prefer fixed-roof accommodation, such as lodges or hotels. It is the responsibility of protected areas managers to support park goals and objectives. Often the primary mandate of such protected areas means that fixed roof accommodation and related facilities are incompatible with the park?s key values. This means that visitors who prefer fixed-roof services must stay outside park boundaries. This demand for private accommodation and other types of development and services adjacent to some parks is likely to continue to grow. In response to such demand, the Tourism Development Division and Parks and Protected Areas Division of Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture are collaborating to examine appropriate tourism development of Crown land adjacent to park boundaries in other jurisdictions. While appropriate developments will vary from place to place, there are a number of aspects which should be taken into account, including design, scale, form, function, construction and operations. Alberta Tourism Parks, Recreation and Culture, as an early step in working to address the challenges of development adjacent to parks, wish to build on the experiences and knowledge of other locations, in the form of a document which provides case studies from relevant jurisdictions
The overall purpose of the study is to research processes and developments in other jurisdictions which are adjacent to parks, which are based on integrated land management principles, and which support parks and conservation values and tourism objectives. The objectives and scope include:
? Identification of jurisdictions in North America and elsewhere where public lands outside parks, has integrated land management principles, and enables tourism development, with care for parks values, together with descriptions and illustrations;
? Provide descriptions as they relate to building design, scale, form and character;
? Identify any decision criteria or guidelines related to site, nature, and type of development;
? Describe any guidelines related to design, construction and operations;
? Identify environmental and social considerations;
? Identify operational considerations;
? Describe specific sustainable development considerations related to site and public land uses;
? Describe any monitoring and evaluation measures and criteria.
