For years, Alberta conservationists and environmental watchdogs have denounced the provincial government for its helter-skelter approach to land use and industrial development. With no big-picture plan in place, the province has for the most part dealt with projects individually — a sour gas project here, a feedlot there, a highway over here.

That’s all set to change. Earlier this month, the province released the final version of its land-use framework, a plan that aims to bring order to what happens on Alberta’s landscape and reduce conflicts between land users.

“We’re hitting against limits,” says Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) senior policy analyst Rick Schneider. “We really can’t kind of magically hope they’ll go away. There are real physical limits to how many different people you can put on the land at any one place and time without them starting to bump into each other.”

Regional planning is at the framework’s core. The government will divide Alberta into seven geographic zones each of which will have its own regional plan. Under the framework, municipalities and other local entities will still make their own planning decisions, but they’ll need to be consistent with the regional plans.

The province will also monitor and manage cumulative impacts of development instead of simply looking at everything individually. “While our current land management system served us well in the past, it now risks being overwhelmed by the scope and pace of activity,” says the framework document. “What worked for us when our population was only one or two million will not get the job done with four, and soon five million.”

Schneider says the framework is long overdue and shows a “sea change in management style” from former premier Ralph Klein’s hands-off approach to planning. “There’s some gaps in there still, but it’s a pretty darn good start,” he says.

The plan is getting positive reviews from other environmental watchdogs as well. “I think there are a number of people within government that are extremely committed to ensuring this happens,” says Water Matters executive director Danielle Droitsch. “I believe [Sustainable Resource Minister] Ted Morton really cares about this. I think [Premier Ed] Stelmach acknowledges it’s an issue. I don’t think it’s a strategy that’s being released simply to quell people’s concerns.”

The government says the plan isn’t intended to halt growth, but to manage it. “The Government of Alberta rejects the simplistic view that to save the environment, we must stop development,” says the plan. “The best environmental regimes in the world are found in the wealthiest countries.”

Observers say the real test for the plan will be its implementation. An implementation plan will be released early next year. “The rubber hits the road with the regional plans,” says Steve Kennett, a senior policy analyst for the Pembina Institute. “Right now, what we have are a number of positive policy statements.”