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Identifying ranching landscape values in the Calgary, Alberta region: Implications for land‐use planning
Author(s) -
Benoit Aimee,
Johnston Tom,
MacLachlan Ian,
Ramsey Doug
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the canadian geographer / le géographe canadien
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.35
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1541-0064
pISSN - 0008-3658
DOI - 10.1111/cag.12464
Subject(s) - stewardship (theology) , geography , land use , incentive , environmental planning , politics , environmental stewardship , environmental resource management , cultural landscape , landscape planning , land use planning , political science , ecology , economics , archaeology , law , biology , microeconomics
In recent years, ranching landscapes in the region of Calgary, Alberta have experienced intensifying land‐use pressures related to urban growth and development. At the same time, Alberta's land‐use policies have introduced voluntary, market‐based incentives to encourage the conservation and stewardship of private land. Given this new emphasis, this study aims to better understand different perspectives of ranching landscapes among residents and landowners in two rural municipalities surrounding Calgary. Drawing on cultural landscapes and political ecology literatures, this paper identifies four broad categories of ranching landscape values that participants felt were important to maintain: lifestyle and community values; ecological values; production values; and economic values and property rights. Participants’ diverse place meanings suggest a need to expand the ways in which landscapes are understood and assessed within local contexts, as a strategy for promoting private land stewardship and for resolving tensions in land‐use planning processes.