Environment Canada
Working Group Members

Pacific and Yukon Region — Linda MacQueen
Prairie and Northern Region — Tim Coleman
Atlantic Region — Jim Ellsworth
Quebec Region — André Champoux, Anne-France Gravel
Ontario Region — Susan Nameth
National Capital Region — Ruth Carrière

Acknowledgements

While the working group members contributed substantially to the content of this document, it would not have been possible to complete the guiding principles without the efforts of various other Environment Canada staff across Canada. Special thanks are extended to Bill Gummer of Prairie and Northern Region and Stephanie Werlich of Ontario Region. Thanks also go to the many who provided valuable advice on the contents and who reviewed part or all of the document.

Special appreciation goes to Paulette Mailloux of the Ecosystem Conservation Directorate (Ottawa), who managed the overall writing and production of the document. A note of appreciation also goes to Robert Hélie for providing the maps and technical advice and to the staff involved in editing, translating, and producing the final version.

Preface

Following receipt of the October 1993 evaluation report for the St. Lawrence Action Plan, Environment Canada's Management Board agreed that the lessons described in that evaluation be used in drafting guiding principles for ecosystem initiatives. A working group, composed primarily of regional staff and coordinated by the Environmental Conservation Service's Sustainability Branch, was established.^* Group members examined the various components of the existing initiatives, and based on their experience to date, they agreed on five areas that deserve special attention: the ecosystem approach, partnerships, environmental citizenship, science, and leadership.

The guiding principles described herein were developed to address each of those areas and reflect the experiences of all the regions. This document does not provide detailed lessons in "how to" develop and implement regional initiatives. Nor does the document present an exhaustive list of principles. It concentrates on the five areas, which are common to all existing plans and are identified as being essential to the success of ecosystem initiatives.

^*Environment Canada's regional offices are working closely with the Sustainability Branch to identify common elements and/or ongoing lessons learned from the action plans so that all may benefit from the experience to date and build on the strengths of the various regional initiatives. The working group will provide a forum for continuous learning as well as idea and information sharing.