| |
The Municipal Wetland Stewardship Program: Municipalities
in Newfoundland and Labrador have jurisdiction over large areas of
wetland. Through the Municipal Wetland Stewardship Program, municipal
councils are encouraged to become responsible stewards of their wetland
and associated upland habitats. Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV)
staff will conduct field surveys, wetland evaluation, hold public
meetings and negotiate a stewardship agreement with council. This
agreement, which is signed by the mayor and the provincial minister
responsible for the activities of the EHJV, identifies “stewardship
zones” in which council will exercise best practices to reduce negative
impacts to wetlands (influenced through the stewardship program) and
“management units” which will be protected from any adverse development
through the municipal planning process (secured). This proposal will
result in the negotiation of a municipal wetland stewardship agreement
with stewardship zones totaling 202 hectares and management units
also totaling 202 hectares. Once the agreement is signed, a conservation
plan is then developed in cooperation with the municipality. This
conservation plan is one of the few sources of habitat information
available for municipal planning and in many cases, is now being incorporated
into the Municipal Plan . Following the signing of the agreement,
the municipality is invited to join the Stewardship Association of
Municipalities Inc. (SAM). SAM was formed to help reinforce the municipalities'
commitment to wetland conservation. There are currently 14 municipalities
in SAM with a total of 68,665 hectares being identified as stewardship
zones and 7,164 hectares identified as management units. With assistance
provided by the EHJV, the association meets twice a year, the meetings
being rotated between member communities. This allows for the opportunity
to share experiences and to promote a sense of camaraderie between
these stewards of our wetlands.
The
Municipal Wetland Stewardship Program underwent an intensive evaluation
during 2003 that culminated in a report
(full
report, pdf, 8.34MB - appendix,
pdf, 189KB). The authors concluded “the Municipal Wetlands
Stewardship Program is a powerful and effective strategy for conservation.
They recommend that all relevant partners give it their strong support.”
Coastal
Stewardship Program: The
Coastal Habitat Stewardship Program was developed to nurture and
reinforce a conservation ethic within communities that have a historic
relationship with sea ducks and their coastal habitat. This program
is based on the Municipal Stewardship Program but addresses activity
in marine habitat that is beyond the planning jurisdiction of the
community. An agreement with a coastal community provides for the
opportunity to foster a sense of stewardship that will positively
influence activities within coastal sea duck habitats. This proposal
will influence 526 hectares of sea duck and colonial seabird habitats.
Field work will be conducted to provide information for the development
of a management plan which will outline habitat conservation activities
that would be appropriate for the area. With the support of the
community, the concept of stewardship will be encouraged in the
resource users and will result in increased conservation of waterfowl,
as well as other coastal wildlife, seabirds in particular. To date,
negotiations have been completed with 5 coastal communities influencing
2,822 hectares of coastal sea duck/sea bird habitat.
Stewardship Extension: The
stewardship extension program will provide for the continued reinforcement
of the stewardship concept with the signatories of previous stewardship
agreements. Professional biological and habitat advice and direction
will be provided to assist the signatories in fulfilling the terms
of their agreements and the implementation of their management plans.
Activities will include regular contact and meetings with the executive
of the Stewardship Association of Municipalities, town councils,
rural development associations, environmental committees, corporations,
private landowners, etc.
This project has elements of both
the Coastal and Inland Freshwater Wetlands key program areas for
Newfoundland and Labrador located within Bird Conservation Regions
#7 (Taiga Shield and Hudson Plains) and #8 (Boreal Softwood Shield).
The 2005-2006
project report for this project is available (pdf - 139kb).
For more information on this project, please contact Gerry
Yetman, Eastern Habitat Joint Venture Program Manager, Newfoundland
and Labrador Dept. of Environment and Conservation, Inland Fish
and Wildlife Division, Corner Brook, Newfoundland.
|
