Next Steps for Cumulative Effects Management in Alberta's Athabasca Oil Sands Region

Abstract

This article comments on the origins and record of two initiatives intended to contribute to cumulative effects management in Alberta’s Athabasca oil sands region. There is clear evidence of a growing gap between expectations regarding these initiatives and their performance. Opportunities for closing this gap include improvements in the efficiency and effectiveness of these initiatives, a stronger role for the Government of Alberta in providing leadership and support, and attention to underlying obstacles to cumulative effects management.