INTRODUCTION
National parks are created as pristine wilderness reserves, and yet at the same time are
designed for the use and enjoyment of visitors. The first involves isolating parks from adverse
human impacts, the second, making parks accessible to the public (Lowry 1994, Kopas 2000).
Within Canada, policymakers have tried to resolve this conflict between ecological protection
and supporting the enjoyment of present and future generations of park visitors through the
adoption of sustainable development principles. The purpose of this research is to explore the
role of business within Banff National Park, and to determine how the commercial environment
created by the business community affects the goal of sustainable development within the
parks.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The World Commission on Environment and Development (also known as the
Brundtland Commission) defined sustainable development as "development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs" (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987). Sustainable
development must both satisfy human needs and at the same time include responsible use of
society’s scarce resources. In Canada, this idea has been integrated into federal legislation
though the Auditor General Act (1995). While extensive research has been done on the
theories and practice of sustainable development in general, research has not yet been done on
the meaning and practice of sustainable development for protected spaces such as national
parks.
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Convention