The ABMI recently (2018) released a new report on the status of human footprint in Alberta. Depending on your particular interests, you were probably struck by different aspects of the report—maybe the fact that 78% of central Alberta is now under human footprint, or the fact that in the Athabasca Oil Sands Area, that number is only 8.4%.
In the Parkland Natural Region in central Alberta, home to much of Alberta’s population and agricultural development—as noted, 78% of this region is already under human footprint. Or the Grassland Natural Region, 57% of which is currently under human footprint. Those are big numbers, and they’re still growing, with both regions seeing an additional 0.14% or so converted each year on average, mostly by agricultural, urban, transportation, and industrial footprints.