Outdoor recreation has always been important to Albertans. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on just how much value Albertans’ attribute to Crown Lands for outdoor recreation purposes.
The Tourism Industry Association of Alberta (TIAA) is excited to gather Albertans’ feedback on outdoor recreation participation on Crown Lands and to estimate the economic contribution it makes provincially, and regionally through a province-wide survey. The survey can be located at http://s.alchemer-ca.com/s3/efcf041bdcc3
The survey results will help inform a study that will assist Crown Land managers in better understanding, and quantifying, the powerful economic role that Crown Land based outdoor recreation plays in Alberta, while providing essential insights to help strengthen and align advocacy efforts by the stakeholders across the Crown Land outdoor recreation ecosystem.
Darren Reeder, TIAA Board Advisor, explains, “As Alberta is embarking on a new vision for Crown lands, the time is right to create the foundational insights and research to better inform decisions about, and investments in, our Crown land outdoor recreation economy. Not unlike our traditional resource industries, the outdoor recreation economy requires a supportive and intentional policy framework, and well-planned public sector investment decisions, to motivate a thriving and successful industry.”
“By understanding the potential of sustainable, outdoor recreation opportunities on Alberta Crown lands, the province can set the stage to grow, strengthen and diversify the provincial economy – especially in more of Alberta’s rural, Crown land gateway communities.”
Though some sectors of the Crown land outdoor recreation economy have studied their individual economic contributions, no single study thus far has focused comprehensively on the entire outdoor recreation economy ecosystem, nor on the role Crown lands play in driving this economic segment.
Often, outdoor recreation is simply viewed as an activity that just happens and, from a land use perspective, as a use that simply needs to be managed to minimize impacts (and conflicts) of outdoor recreation on other industries and, provincial environmental priorities.
TIAA’s study efforts are being informed with the guidance of an Outdoor Recreation Project Advisory Panel, consisting of cross-sectoral, Crown land outdoor recreation stakeholders. The study delivery is anticipated by early summer.
