The Prairie Conservation Forum has developed guides for industry and private landowners about reducing adverse impacts on Alberta’s native grasslands
In 2017, the Prairie Conservation Forum (PCF) developed a document titled ‘Beneficial Management Practices for Renewable Energy Projects’. This document was developed with the intent of providing a framework for the development of industry-specific beneficial management practices applicable to the renewable energy sector. The beneficial management practices are built on the minimal disturbance principles, guidelines, and tools developed by the Government of Alberta for all industrial activity proposed in native prairie and parkland landscapes. Additionally, it involved engagement with representatives of the renewable energy sector, comments provided by industry representatives, government agencies, and interested stakeholders. The document can be accessed here.
As an accompaniment to the Beneficial Management Practices for Renewable Energy Projects document, the PCF had two information summary sheets developed:
- For the wind and solar energy industries that explains why native prairie is important, what these industries can do to reduce negative impacts on native prairie ecosystems, and what the advantages of avoiding siting in native prairie are to the industry, found here; and
- For landowners so that they can be more informed when renewable energy companies are interested in their land, found here.
The documents can be accessed at the links above or found on the PCF website at www.albertapcf.org in the resources section: http://www.albertapcf.org/resources-literature/pcf-resources.
For enquiries, please contact:
Chelsea Parent
Policy Analyst
chelsea@RMAlberta.com
Tasha Blumenthal
Director of External Relations & Advocacy
tasha@RMAlberta.com