Alberta is home to a rich diversity of species. However, natural landscapes supporting a full complement of native species have become increasingly rare in Alberta because of widespread agriculture and industrial development. Therefore, parks and protected areas play a critical role in biodiversity conservation.
The Alberta Parks iNaturalist project seeks to document the biodiversity that exists within Alberta’s park system. The intent is to support conservation efforts within the parks and to draw attention to the important role that parks play in supporting biodiversity.
The first step in contributing to this project is to visit and enjoy Alberta’s parks. While there, make an effort to submit observations of some of the species you encounter to iNaturalist. As long as the observation is made within a park, it will automatically be added to the project.
Rather than sending in the standard photo of an elk on the side of the road, challenge yourself to find something new each visit. There have been over 3,500 species of plants and animals identified to date, so there is no shortage of options.
Alberta Parks
