The broad scope and intent of this thesis is to contribute to the body of research and
writing about the loss of agricultural land due to development and the transformation of rural
agricultural communities. At the more specific level, through interviews and secondary research,
this thesis considers municipal land use planning in Alberta under the revised 1995 Municipal
Government Act in the Municipal District (MD) of Pincher Creek No. 9, where cattle ranching,
wildlife, and now, acreages vie for land resources. The critical questions addressed are:
What are the conflicts between ranching and habitat conservation, and
conversely, what opportunities do they share?
What role can and does a municipality play in promoting sustainable
ranching and conservation through its land use policy and jurisdiction?
Set in southwest corner of Alberta, the MD of Pincher Creek is endowed with a
remarkable history of ranching, ample resource wealth, and a unique climate and topography
that supports a spectacular, rich, diverse ecosystem. Within the past few years, private
agricultural land near Waterton Lakes National Park and the Castle River wilderness in the MD
has come under speculative and development pressure predominantly for country residences,
often retirement homes, and for tourism interests. Recent Municipal Act amendments have
delegated substantially more land use control to rural municipalities, as a result the MD of
Pincher Creek has more authority to make decisions that shape its future community profile, to
mediate between competing land use interests, and to impact local ranching and habitat.
The thesis analysis explores how the best practices of ranching or "sustainable ranching"
can help to conserve and enhance habitat and how ranchers' attitudes can evolve to be more
tolerant of wildlife. This thesis also explores and supports the efforts of a budding local land
trust, SALTS, which plans to protect local agricultural land and habitat through conservation
easements. Finally, the thesis concludes by envisioning ways the MD government can encourage
habitat preservation, conservation easements, sustainable and economically viable ranching, as
well as the control and direction of country residential development, all with a view to ensuring
that future economic development opportunities remain available for local residents.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/8249 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Sadilkova, Regina Maria |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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