The Second Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan

There have been many developments in wetlands conservation since the Action Plan was launched in 1994. These make some of the existing goals and proposed projects of GLWCAP redundant and bring new priority to others which were not even considered in the first Action Plan. The second Action Plan has kept the same eight strategies, including wetland securement; however, within the milestones, there will be a greater focus on important issues such as climate variability and change, wetland science and monitoring, and species at risk.

In 2002, a new Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA) was negotiated. Delivery of the second GLWCAP to protect and rehabilitate Great Lakes wetlands is once again an important part of the agreement in the Lakewide Management Planning Annex. The duration of the second Action Plan matches that of the COA Annexes, which remain in force until 2007.

The first GLWCAP gave priority to the most threatened wetlands in the lower Great Lakes basin, coastal marshes between Sarnia and Cornwall. The area of focus for the second Action Plan includes the entire Great Lakes basin, with specific priorities within this area identified by individual partners' mandates and resources. The timing for development of the second Action Plan was opportune, given the ongoing strategic planning by many existing GLWCAP partners. With some coordination, these planning efforts will result in complementary plans to address every aspect of wetlands conservation in the Great Lakes basin.

Milestones under the second GLWCAP [GLWCAP Highlights Report (2000 - 2003)]

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