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Using
NAWMP resources, partners have been able to develop a variety of
stewardship programs, such as wetland restoration, livestock fencing
programs, riparian enhancement, soil conservation, and nutrient
management that directly benefit wetland and aquatic wildlife habitats.
Demonstrating that these programs are successful in providing environmental
benefits and are supported by the agricultural community has positioned
NAWMP partners very favourably in developing new agricultural initiatives.
The recent announcement of the Agricultural Policy Framework (APF)
by the Government of Canada and the Provinces emphasizes the protection
of the environment and in particular, water resources. The APF encourages
the farm community to put in place practices that will lead to better
quality air, soil, water, and biodiversity.
Private land stewardship can show
that better techniques exist to sustain land resources, at the same
time benefiting wetlands and other wildlife habitats. The PEI Department
of Environment has also reorganized with a primary focus on watershed
management, recognizing the impact that users, such as the agricultural
community, have on the quality of the Province's water resources.
This project is based on approved
North American Wetlands Conservation Act Projects # 2004.3 and 2005.1
submitted to the North American Wetland Conservation Council to
be delivered in fiscal year 2005. The PEI Wetland Stewardship Program
is an on-going Eastern Habitat Joint Venture Program that has successfully
conserved and protected over 6,000 hectares of upland and wetland
since 1991. This has been accomplished through the excellent cooperation
of wetland conservation organizations and agricultural groups working
to conserve wetlands and achieve sustainable agriculture.
The
following program areas description states specifically our objectives
and how they will be achieved.
1. Agricultural Stewardship
Provincial agriculture
departments are very effective in delivering agriculture programs
but have no experience in developing biodiversity or habitat programs
that are an important component of the APF. Through this proposal,
NAWMP partners will take the first steps in cooperatively developing
and delivering Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs), designed
to incorporate biodiversity and habitat programs into farm management
practices, to the farm community. These BMPs will directly support
the APF through enhanced biodiversity while also contributing to
APF priorities of improved air, soil and water quality. This initiative
will be linked with the Environmental Farm Plan and will re-enforce
the concept that sustainable farming includes both economics and
the environment. The agricultural program will be supported by existing
funding through the provincial Sustainable Resource Conservation
Program and will be protected by agreements signed between the landowner
and the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry.
2.
Agricultural Wetlands
The Small Marsh Program
will continue with the enhancement of small wetlands, including
abandoned borrow pits and existing beaver dams, and construction
of wetlands, where feasible, to aid in reducing excessive amounts
of nutrients being exported from the farm to natural wetlands and
watercourses. Up to 35 small wetlands will be enhanced under this
program and up to 50 sites are expected to be assessed and prioritized.
These projects will be cost shared with the landowner and protected
by agreements signed between the landowner and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
3.
Purple Loosestrife Control
Monitoring and control
of purple Loosestrife will continue by monitoring established populations
of predatory beetles (Galerucella spp.) and the continued transfer
of individuals from these populations to new stands of Loosestrife.
Very encouraging results were observed in 2004. An inventory of
locations where the plant occurs will continue to be updated and
where practical, alternate means of control including removal of
small outbreaks of plants will be employed.
This project
has a focus on inland and coastal areas across the Prince Edward
Island Key Program Area, located within the Bird Conservation Area
(BCR) 14.
The final
report for the project is now available (pdf - 6.5Mb)
For more information on this project, please contact Gerald
MacDougall, Manager, Fish and Wildlife, P.E.I. Department of
Environment and Energy, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
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