Integrated Land Management

Integrated Land Management (ILM) is a strategic planned approach to managing and reducing human-caused footprint on public land.

Skip to On this page

Overview

The goals of Integrated Land Management are:

  • to reduce land-use disturbances relative to what would occur in the absence of integrated efforts
  • to foster a stewardship ethic in all land users

Integrated Land Management (ILM) is a strategic, planned approach to the way we use land and natural resources. This approach aims to balance values, benefits, risks and trade-offs when planning and managing resource extraction, land use activities, and environmental conservation and management. A footprint is the surface area of land disturbed from its natural condition by human activity, it can be temporary or permanent, learn more about the Alberta Human Footprint Monitoring Program.

ILM approach

ILM is not a plan or a process. It is a way of doing business and a way of thinking to influence land-use behaviour. By working together, we work to avoid, reduce, restore, offset footprint, and reduce costs by using a variety of tools and approaches to:

  • share existing footprint
  • reuse old footprint
  • remove old footprint
  • coordinate development to minimize the new footprint

The Government of Alberta, municipalities, industry, and many others routinely apply ILM principles.
The province has been using this approach in land-use planning and the Caribou Habitat Recovery Program.

Learn more:

ILM and the Land-use Framework

The 2008 Land Use Framework is an approach to manage public and private lands and natural resources in Alberta. The vision is that we all work together to respect and care for the land as the foundations for our economic, environmental, and social well being.  A key strategy in the framework promotes the efficient use of land to reduce the footprint of human activities on Alberta’s landscapes. This requires addressing footprint on both public and private land.

Alberta sponsored a shared footprint award from 2010 until 2025, see the Emerald award past recipients list for award winners by searching for “shared footprint”.  

Resources

Contact

For more information on the ILM approach:
Email: [email protected]