In light of growing development pressures, Parkland County initiated the Environmental Conservation Master Plan + Policy Updates project (ECMP) to begin viewing municipal land use planning through the wide lens of landscape ecology. The project consists of two interrelated components: 1) an inventory and analysis of the County's Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs) (phase 1) and 2) a comprehensive set of policies, procedures, and tools for county-wide environmental planning and management (phases 2 and 3). Unlike many ESA studies, which focus on individual ESAs in relative isolation, this applied ESA study acknowledges that landscapes embody a gradient of environmental values, with ESAs as critical nodes. From this perspective, the study informed the development of practical policy tools to conserve interconnected ecological processes and resources across the entire landscape. These policy tools will be incorporated into the County's new Community Sustainability & Development Plan (CSDP), effectively translating multi-criteria landscape analysis into holistic landscape planning solutions. The ECMP was undertaken in collaboration with over 90 stakeholders representing industry, the business community, the agricultural community, natural area societies, lake management associations, neighborhood associations, local NGOs, and research institutions. These stakeholders were instrumental in shaping a plan that has been fully embraced by the community.
