Science and Habitat Conservation

This article is an overview of Environment Canada's work in the area of wetland conservation, and a lead-in to an ongoing series on the role of the Department's science in preserving important habitats across Canada. In this issue we profile the efforts of the Pacific Estuary Conservation Program to preserve a chain of unique wetlands along the coast of British Columbia (Where the Current Meets the Tide)

Preserving Canada's Wetlands

Wetlands are among the most productive habitats in the world. The freshwater edges of lakes and rivers, inland marshes, swamps, sloughs and peatlands, and the marine waters of estuaries and the tidal ocean shoreline are critical habitats for many species of flora and fauna, serve important ecological functions as sinks for natural and human-made pollutants, and are vital to the economy. Unfortunately, these habitats are also severely threatened by drainage, land reclamation, pollution, overuse and other symptoms of human development.

Home of the longest coastline of any nation in the world, 15 per cent of the planet's freshwater and 24 per cent of its wetlands, Canada is involved in numerous international, national, provincial and local initiatives to conserve its wetlands. Its work is based on more than two decades of science, much of which has been carried out by Environment Canada's Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) in cooperation with government and non-government organizations.

Since 1981, CWS scientists have been involved in identifying and managing numerous important Canadian wetlands--including those recognized under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance--and ensuring that designated sites are protected now and in the future. An important foundation of this work was the publication of Wetlands of Canada and The Canadian Wetland Classification System--groundbreaking documents that define the ecology, geographic distribution and management needs of this country's diverse wetland habitats.

Today, Canada has 36 Ramsar sites, representing some 20 per cent of the 70 million hectares of Ramsar-designated wetlands in the world. Through another international initiative--the North American Waterfowl Management Plan--more than $450 million has been invested in conserving Canadian wetlands, most on important waterfowl migration routes. This science-driven continental plan involving Canada, the United States and Mexico is focused on about two million hectares of Canada's most threatened wetland habitats.

In 1991 Canada became one of the first nations to implement a national wetland conservation policy, an example that has since been followed by other countries and has also spurred the creation of provincial policies across our country. In May of this year, the Ramsar Convention adopted a paper--written by an international coalition of wetland experts led by Environment Canada—on fundamental guidelines for implementing national wetland conservation policies. The document will serve as an international standard to the 114 nations to date that are contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention, as well as to others around the world.

As Canada's more than 15 million hectares of protected wetlands continues to grow, scientists are refocusing their efforts on evaluating the effectiveness of existing conservation projects. Because one focus of wetland conservation is to ensure sustainable habitat, the key to success in managing these resources is to balance social, economic and environmental needs. Monitoring is an essential component of these evaluations, and population counts indicate that many key species, and waterfowl in particular, are responding positively to current habitat conservation efforts.

The Showy Lady's Slipper Orchid grows in the Purdon Bog near Lanark, Ontario.

However, much remains to be learned about the health of these habitats themselves. Further monitoring is required to determine not only if wetlands are disappearing, but also how and why certain ecological characteristics—such as soil and water chemistry, plant health and water conditions—may be changing. Another important area of scientific study focuses on the history of wetlands and the possible long-term impacts of natural and anthropogenic changes. Wetlands play an important role in the carbon cycle, with about 25 per cent of the carbon stored in the world's wetlands found in Canada's peatlands. A clearer understanding of this role is needed in order to determine the fundamental impact that habitat and stored carbon loss would have on global climate.

Environment Canada will be a partner in a special Millennium Wetland Event in Quebec City next year, where more than 2000 scientists and policy makers will have the opportunity to participate in the conferences of global organizations on ecology, peatland, mire and other wetland-related areas. The information shared at this conference and through Canada's involvement in other international conventions on biological diversity, climate change, desertification and migratory species will help to promote effective habitat conservation around the world.

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