Canada’s national park system is in danger of collapsing unless the park service is radically overhauled, according to a report by a high-profile federal panel. The report found that nearly all of Canada’s 39 national parks are suffering from pollution, overuse, invasion by exotic species, and developments such as dams. Most of the park service staff does not make the ecological health of the parks its first priority, though government policy mandates that it should be. The panel also found that the conservation ethic is so disparaged within Parks Canada that the organization has effectively created a “green ceiling,” meaning that those who want to protect the health of the parks are denied many decision-making posts. The panel’s chair, Jacques Gerin, said yesterday that there’s no use increasing Parks Canada’s budget until the agency undergoes a major cultural shift and reorganization.
