An Introduction to Species Law

This section allows students to study and learn about caribou, sage-grouse, fish, and other plants and animals but more importantly it focuses on how the law is (or sometimes isn’t) protecting these species and their homes. Federal and provincial governments often disagree about who should be responsible for species management – a fight which is ultimately lost by the species as a result of government inaction. This section will introduce you to how government seeks to manage different species. This is a great topic to focus on if you are interested in either animals or in land management. 

Species law is one of our topical sections focused on a more discrete area of the law – the others include energy, water, toxins & waste, and climate change. You can jump around these sections in any order and can focus on a particular topic that is important to you or you can start here and move through each one – this will help you understand how each area of environmental law is connected. Start with the links on the left hand side, and as you complete each sub-topic, you will follow the links at the bottom of each page (or the links on the left hand side) to the next topic in order.

Teachers:

• Lesson plans are designed to be used in conjunction (and often after) spending time on the website content itself. They are adaptable and can be used in their entirety or parts of each can be drawn on to create content appropriate for your grade level and curriculum.

Students

• The website content and lesson plans can be completed in groups or on your own to expand your thinking. Make sure to check back with the website content if you have any questions or aren’t sure how to finish.

Additional Resources

• Don’t forget that you can always look to our Resources page for some other websites and sources of information both to help with the lesson plans and to expand your knowledge even further!

 

Species and the Law >>

 

 

 

Species Law

• An Introduction to Species Law
• Species & the Law
• Categories of Species at Risk
• The Definition of ‘Habitat’
• A Brief History of Species at Risk or Habitat Law in Canada
• Which laws apply to species at risk in Alberta?
• Which laws apply to species at risk in Canada?
• Federalism & Species at Risk
• Case Study: Caribou
• Section Review

Lesson Plan: Fundamentals of Environmental Law

Lesson Plan: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Lesson Plan: Tragedy of the Commons

Lesson Plan: Climate Litigation

Curriculum Connections

Newsletter

Join our new Alberta Environmental Laws 101 Facebook group to ask questions, participate in discussions and keep up to date on environmental news. Please share this widely so that the high school teachers and students in your circles hear about this great new resource for supplemental online learning. Alberta Environmental Laws 101 Facebook Group