Measuring the effectiveness of Parks Canada's environmental management system: a case study of Riding Mountain National Park

Abstract

In 1996, the Geneva‐based International Organization for Standardization released its ISO 14001 guidelines for environmental management systems (EMSs). By implementing an EMS, an organization is better situated to manage the environmental effects of its operations which, in turn, should lead to better environmental performance. However, research on EMS performance has only recently begun to emerge, and the relation between EMSs and genuine improvement in environmental performance has not been clearly established, particularly for organizations such as Parks Canada, whose principal mandate is to protect the natural environment. While EMSs are gaining recognition amongst parks as a systematic approach for dealing with the environmental aspects of park operations, there has been very little investigation as to the effectiveness of EMSs in improving the environmental performance of park operations. This paper presents the results of a case study of the effectiveness of Riding Mountain National Park's (RMNP's) EMS and its contribution to environmental improvement. The results confirm EMS experience elsewhere in that RMNP's EMS has been only moderately successful at best and that there exists no clear link between the EMS and the environmental improvement of park operations.

Challenges in implementing a functional ISO 14001 environmental management system

“…This is in part due to the fact that the standard provides a high-level of flexibility to develop, integrate, and implement an EMS that is in alignment with an organization's distinct management and operational systems, characteristics, location, and risk tolerance (Morrow and Rondinelli, 2002;Klaver and Jonker, 1998;Benito and González-Benito, 2005). Notwithstanding the inherent difficulties in determining the costs and benefits of implementing the standard, several authors highlight that the costs are generally outweighed by the benefits (Chin et al, 1999;Bansal and Bogner, 2002;Bronson and Noble, 2006;Ann et al, 2006;Schylander and Martinuzzi, 2007).…”

“…In recognition of these challenges, a colloquium focusing on implementing ISO 14001 in Canada was held. There have been few papers that specifically focus on the impact of the ISO 14001 standard in Canada (Yiridoe et al, 2003;Berthelot et al, 2003;Bronson and Noble, 2006;Barla, 2007). The colloquium was organized to share knowledge and experiences and to develop perspectives on key issues related to ISO 14001.…”

Environmental And Quality Management System In The Context Of Sustainable Development

“…By implementing an EMS, an organization is better situated to manage the environmental effects of its operations which, in turn, should lead to better environmental performance. However, research on EMS performance has only recently begun to emerge, and the relation between EMSs and genuine improvement in environmental performance has not been clearly established (9).…”

An analysis of ISO 14001 and suggested improvements

“…Several authors have explored the impacts of implementing an EMS on the economic and environmental performance of an organization (Corbett and Kirsch, 2001;Bansal and Bogner, 2002;Bronson and Noble, 2006;Schaltegger and Synnestvedt, 2002). Although it is acknowledged that evaluating the indirect costs and benefits associated with implementing ISO 14001 is difficult, much of the research emphasizes that the costs are outweighed by benefits (Rondinelli and Vastag, 2000;Darnall et al, 2008).…”