Land-use Planning Regions:
TOTAL AREA:
50,338 km2
TOTAL Human Footprint:
33,696 km2
Region Overview
The Red Deer Region encompasses an area of approximately 50,338 km2 in south-central Alberta. The Grassland Natural Region and Parkland Natural Region comprise the dominant ecosystem types, representing 44% and 38% of the landbase, respectively; the Boreal Forest (8%) and Foothills (1%) Natural Regions cover much smaller areas. Agriculture is a critical industry in this region and is part of a proud farming legacy that defines the economy and culture in many rural communities. Conventional oil and gas development is also common. The pressure to convert not only native grassland but also agricultural land to other land uses is an ongoing management challenge in this landbase. Human footprint status and trends are summarized for the Red Deer Region.
Status
As of 2021, human footprint occupied 67.0% of the Red Deer Region. Covering 59.6% of the region, agriculture was the dominant human footprint. The following footprint types occupied similar areas: transportation (2.9%), energy (2.2%), and urban/industrial (1.8%). Human-created water bodies occupied <1.0% of the region.
| Human Footprint Type | Area (km2) | Area (%) |
|---|
Figure: Status of Human Footprint. Summary of percentage cover of total human footprint broken down by human footprint category in the Red Deer Region, circa 2021.
Trend
- Between 2000 and 2021, the total area of human footprint in the Red Deer Region increased by 1.5 percentage points, from 65.5% to 67.0%.
- Most footprint types present in the Red Deer Region showed small increases, including energy (+0.9%), urban/industrial (+0.5%), and transportation (+0.3%).
- There is functionally no forestry footprint in the Red Deer Region.
| Human Footprint Type | 2000 (km2) | 2021 (km2) | Change (km2) |
|---|
| Human Footprint Type | 2000 (%) | 2021 (%) | Change (%) |
|---|
Figure: Trend in Human Footprint. Trend in the percentage area of total human footprint, and by human footprint category in the Red Deer Region between 2000 and 2021. Click on the entries in the legend to turn human footprint categories on and off.
Status of Linear Human Footprint
- Density of linear features was 2.9 km/km2 in the Red Deer Region.
- Pipelines, with a density of 1.2 km/km2, were the most common linear feature, followed by roads (1.2 km/km2), and conventional seismic lines (0.3 km/km2).
- Transmission lines and railways had very low densities.
| Type | Density (km/km2) |
|---|
Figure: Status of Linear Human Footprint. Density (km/km2) of linear features in the Red Deer Region, circa 2021, overall and broken down by linear feature type. Hover over bar or legend to view density of specific linear feature type. Please note low impact seismic lines are not included in the summary of linear footprint density.