1         Vision 

To maintain woodland caribou in Alberta’s boreal ecosystem while maintaining opportunities for resource development following the principles set by IL 91-17.  The current and future challenge involves using a knowledge-based process to develop and implement adaptive land-use strategies for industrial activity on designated caribou range in Alberta.  These complex ecological challenges will continue to be addressed by the participants in an atmosphere of co-operation and trust.

 

2         Goals and Objectives

In accordance with the principles outlined in IL 91-17, the ACC seeks to accomplish the following goals through their associated objectives:

2.1        Goal 1: Decision Making

To utilize a decision-making process that reaches consensus at the subcommittee level followed by endorsement through consensus of the ACC.

 

Objectives:

 

1.      To foster co-operation among all participants on issues involving integration of environmental protection (with an emphasis on caribou conservation) and industrial needs.

2.      Liaison with organizations having a related mandate.

3.      Communicate research results, initiatives, and guidelines to stakeholders and the community-at-large.

 

2.2        Goal 2: Integrating Conservation and Resource Development Objectives

To ensure caribou and their habitat are conserved while maintaining opportunities for responsible resource development.

 

Objectives:

4.      Develop practical area-specific plans to achieve conservation of caribou and its supporting ecosystem, while addressing the needs of industry.

5.      To develop and recommend effective, practical knowledge-based operational guidelines, based on research, which can be implemented through referral and approvals processes, and are acceptable to both government and industry to better achieve the principles outlined in IL 91-17.

6.      To evaluate the effectiveness of land-use guidelines in terms of caribou conservation.

7.      To define, through research, the likely historical, current, and foreseeable influences and cumulative effects of resource development and other human activities on woodland caribou and their habitat in prescribed areas.

8.      To define, through research, thresholds for cumulative effects of development and other human activities on woodland caribou and their habitat, including the amount, time, and spatial arrangement of development effects.

9.      To minimize effects of resource development and other human activities by applying operational guidelines.