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Water, wetlands and life – They are inseparable and they’re in crisis
Globally, a growing water crisis is threatening people and our planet. We use more water than nature can replenish and vital wetland ecosystems are being destroyed.
The impact of wetland loss is real
- Nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1700s; those remaining are disappearing 3X faster than forests.
- 25% of all wetland species and 1 in 3 freshwater species face extinction.
- Climate change is reducing surface and groundwater in already dry regions, resulting in increased competition for water.
Source: worldwetlandsday.org
There are people taking action
Work led by the Alberta North American Waterfowl Management Plan (ABNAWMP) Partnership to promote wetland conservation is having an impact. Together we work to:
- Conserve and restore drained wetlands.
- Support research that leads to improved water quality and quantity.
- Help to integrate wetland conservation into development plans and resource management.
- Deliver education and outreach programs for wetlands.
What you do matters
It’s up to us – together – to protect and conserve wetlands – the ecosystems that water and all life depend on most. You may ask yourself, “But what can I do?”
Learn about the Alberta NAWMP Partnership and the important work of the partners to conserve wetlands and associated wetland habitat, for wildlife and for people:
- Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
- Alberta Environment and Parks
- Ducks Unlimited Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Nature Conservancy of Canada
If you have wetlands on your property, take action by:
- Keeping natural wetlands on your land intact.
- Retaining upland vegetation around your wetlands.
- Using responsible practices to preventing excess nutrients and chemicals from entering wetlands.
- Supporting conservation organizations through donations or volunteerism.
- Taking advantage of available resources and programs to conserve and restore wetlands.
Post a note on the World Wetlands Day site and share why you value wetlands.
Earlier this year, Alberta NAWMP produced two new videos with fresh footage that features stunning wetland landscapes, habitat and scenes from DUC projects in Alberta.
In the first video, “We are Alberta NAWMP”, you’ll learn about Alberta NAWMP and the important work of the partners to conserve wetlands and associated wetland habitat, for wildlife and for people.
The second video, “The Face of the Boreal Forest”, introduces you to the boreal forest, one of the most ecologically rich nesting grounds for waterfowl. You’ll learn about this special landscape, it’s human dimensions and the efforts of Alberta NAWMP partners to ensure Canada’s boreal forest continues to thrive. Through these videos, Alberta NAWMP hopes to inspire audiences to take action to conserve wetland and waterfowl habitat, and for those already doing it, to continue their efforts.
Watch them both here and enjoy.
The peer review assessed validity, technical merit, timeliness, relevance and gaps in five carbon reports.
In 2017, Ducks Unlimited Canada commissioned several reports to assess the importance of boreal and mineral soil wetlands in the global carbon cycle. These reports included significant literature reviews to understand the opportunity for carbon storage and subsequently valuing that storage. In addition, Viresco Solutions generated two subsequent reports outlining the business case for valuing the carbon stored in wetlands and grasslands, as well as the development of an implementation plan.
Prior to public release, Alberta NAWMP subsequently commissioned a peer review of these reports which was completed in March 2020. The primary focus of the peer review was to assess the methodologies used in the analysis, the standards and credibility of the work outlined in the reports, including scientific rigor, technical merit and accuracy – including how current the work is, if updates were required and identification of any significant gaps and needs.
Now complete, the final peer review report along with the final reports that were reviewed are available here.
Rare bird sighting proves conservation matters.
Bird watchers who were out in early June near Frank Lake Conservation Area may have witnessed a rare sight for the foothills of Alberta – a whooping crane, one of the rarest birds in North America.
The rare bird sighting was made near Frank Lake Conservation Area, an internationally designated Important Bird and Biodiversity Area owned and managed by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).
Whooping cranes are the tallest bird in North America at four to five feet in height.
The bird’s main flight path is usually from the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge along the Texas coast, through Saskatchewan to Wood Buffalo National Park to nest. Occasionally, whooping cranes will summer in southern Saskatchewan, or southern and central Alberta.
While Wagner doesn’t know how the rare birds ended up south of Calgary and near the mountains, he does think that the fact that they came to an area where there is so much collaboration between organizations such as DUC, landowners, community members, naturalist groups, industry and government provides evidence that working together does result in a better environment, more habitat, and a resurgence of species at risk. He notes that in recent years, other bird species that were once low in numbers, such as trumpeter swans and peregrine falcons, are seeing their populations increase in the area.
In the 1940s, there were only 15 whooping cranes in Alberta after excessive hunting and habit loss drove them close to extinction. Now, some 80 years later, there are about 800 whooping cranes in the wild and in captivity says Wagner. While they are making a bit of comeback, they are still very rare, especially in the foothills of Alberta.
Wagner notes that one of the key reasons for this success story lies with the existence of partnerships.
In the 1950s, DUC helped stabilize water levels at Frank Lake and then later in the 1980s, an agreement between DUC and the municipal, provincial and federal governments helped ensure the lake’s viability. To date, including the recent visit by the whooping crane, 247 bird species have been spotted at Frank Lake. It’s a remarkable outcome. And with volunteers and DUC supporters like Wagner collecting data about birds and other wildlife at Frank Lake, biologists gain a better understanding of the area and its birds.
“We are so fortunate to have organizations and partnerships in our province that support conservation,” says Wagner, sighting another made-in-Alberta collaboration, the Alberta North America Waterfowl Management Partnership.
Established in 1986, the Alberta NAWMP partnership works together to conserve the province’s wetlands and associated upland habitat areas. Partners include DUC, Nature Conservancy of Canada, and the governments of Alberta and Canada.
Learn more about Frank Lake.
How many birds have been spotted at Frank Lake over the years? Check out the all time bird checklist.
For more information, contact:
Cathy MacKenzie
Head, Outreach & Communications – Alberta
Ducks Unlimited Canada
780 678 9105
c_mackenzie@ducks.ca
