Hay-Zama Lakes Wildland Park was "twinned" with Dalai Lake National Nature Reserve (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China) in 2008. Both parks are recognized as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Hay-Zama Lakes Wildland Park preserves a huge wetland that is visited by thousands of waterfowl each year. Due to its importance for migrating waterfowl, Hay-Zama Lakes was designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1982. The Hay-Zama Lakes area has long been recognized by Aboriginal Peoples for its natural values.
Dalai Lake National Nature Reserve protects wetlands that are considered internationally important for migratory birds under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. It also contains grassland ecosystems. Dalai Lake Biosphere Reserve is also recognized under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme.
Known as the Ramsar Convention, the Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty. It provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Alberta has 4 parks that help protect wetlands of international importance recognized under the Ramsar Convention.
The Man and the Biosphere Programme is an intergovernmental scientific program under UNESCO. It aims to set a scientific basis to improve the relationship between people and their environment globally.
The Man and the Biosphere Programme was launched in the early 1970s. It proposes an interdisciplinary research agenda and capacity-building that target the ecological, social and economic dimensions of biodiversity loss and the reduction of this loss.
Canada's Important Bird Areas Program is a science-based initiative to identify, conserve and monitor a network of sites that provide essential habitat for Canada's bird populations.
There are 43 designated Important Bird Areas in Alberta. Thirty parks help to protect all or portions of 19 Important Bird Areas in Alberta.
| Park Name | Class | IBA Name |
|---|---|---|
| Beaverhill Lake Heritage Rangeland | Natural Area | Beaverhill Lake |
| Beaverhill | Natural Area | Beaverhill Lake |
| Dillberry Lake | Provincial Park | Killaney, Dillberry and Leane Lakes |
| Gooseberry Lake | Provincial Park | Gooseberry Lake |
| Hand Hills ER | Ecological Reserve | Little Fish Lake |
| Hay-Zama Lakes | Wildland Provincial Park | Hay Zama Lakes |
| Hilliard's Bay | Provincial Park | Lesser Slave Lake |
| Kennedy Coulee ER | Ecological Reserve | Milk River Canyon and Area |
| Killarney-Reflex Lakes Heritage Rangeland | Natural Area | Killaney, Dillberry and Leane Lakes |
| Kinbrook Island | Provincial Park | Lake Newell and Kitsim Reservoir |
| Lake McGregor | Provincial Recreation Area | McGregor Lake and Travers Reservoir |
| Lakeland | Provincial Park | Lakeland |
| Lakeland | Provincial Recreation Area | Lakeland |
| Lesser Slave Lake | Provincial Park | Lesser Slave Lake |
| Lesser Slave Lake | Wildland Provincial Park | Lesser Slave Lake |
| Little Bow | Provincial Park | McGregor Lake and Travers Reservoir |
| Little Bow Reservoir | Provincial Recreation Area | McGregor Lake and Travers Reservoir |
| Little Fish Lake | Provincial Park | Little Fish Lake |
| Lois Hole Centennial | Provincial Park | Big Lake |
| Milk River | Natural Area | Milk River Canyon and Area |
| Miquelon Lake | Provincial Park | Miquelon Lake |
| Onefour Heritage Rangeland | Natural Area | Sage Creek, Milk River Canyon and Area |
| Queen Elizabeth | Provincial Park | Cardinal Lake |
| Saskatoon Island | Provincial Park | Grande Prairie - Trumpeter Swan |
| Sir Winston Churchill | Provincial Park | Lac La Biche |
| St. Mary Reservoir | Provincial Recreation Area | St. Mary Reservoir |
| Travers Reservoir | Provincial Recreation Area | McGregor Lake and Travers Reservoir |
| Wood Buffalo | National Park | Peace-Athabasca Delta |
Parks Division works with land conservation agencies and organizations to ensure the protection of Alberta's larger landbase.
Examples of partnership initiatives
