WETLAND PROTECTION IN SOUTHWESTERN MANITOBA
 
 

Goals and Objectives

  • Project partners envision sustainable agricultural that include the natural landscape features required to maintain abundant wildlife and other environmental amenities like healthy watersheds. Purchased Conservation Easements (CEs) are the tool of choice for long-term protection because they can be focused on natural lands, provide financial incentives to landowners to conserve habitat and do not affect the use of adjacent agricultural lands.
  • Specific objectives for funds requested from WHC are for securement, by Conservation Easement, of 825 acres of wetlands and adjacent upland habitat (approximately 1:1 ratio of wetland/upland). Overall, the proponent expects to secure 4,825 acres of high priority waterfowl habitat in the priority area in 2007/08.
  • The project will target wetlands identified by the NAWMP Decision Support System (DSS) to be of the highest value for waterfowl (greater than 30 pairs/mi2). Wetlands deemed to be at high risk for drainage and/or conversion to agricultural production will be emphasized.
  • These activities and deliverables will contribute directly to NAWMP objectives in Manitoba. They also support emerging objectives of the Four Watersheds integrated watershed planning and management process on the south and west sides of Riding Mountain National Park and, with additional resources, can be expanded to support source water protection priorities in watersheds in the Turtle Mountain area.

Activities

  • This project focuses on the delivery of perpetual conservation easements (CEs) and emphasizes high priority wetlands for waterfowl production.
  • CE site selection is based on several criteria, including spatial databases that predict the highest priority landscapes for waterfowl. Other considerations include threats from drainage and conversion to agricultural production. These criteria fit mesh with the updated NAWMP implementation plan for Manitoba which is now in the final stages of completion. The process of signing a CE is time-consuming, requiring ongoing landowner contacts and a detailed administrative process to sign and legally register the agreement. Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC) is responsible for all these activities.
  • With MHHC’s linkages to Conservation Districts in Manitoba, the opportunity exists to integrate wetland protection activities to an emerging integrated watershed planning and management (IWPM) framework.

Specific Habitat Products/Results to be Supported by WHC’s Contributions
WHC funds will be used to secure an estimated 825 acres of wetland and associated habitats with perpetual conservation easements. The ratio of wetland to upland acres secured will be approximately 1:1.

Benefits to Wildlife
At least 16 species of waterfowl and over 200 species of waterbirds, shorebirds and landbirds will benefit from these wetland conservation activities.

The involvement of MHHC in direct wetland conservation activities naturally leads to its participation in ongoing watershed planning activities that are taking place in Manitoba landscapes of interest. Conservation activities supported in this proposal will be nested within a broad-based watershed management framework. At the policy development scale, MHHC and its partners continue to promote wetland protection instruments within agricultural and other land use policy frameworks.

Relevance to Habitat Planning, Decision Making and/or Management
NAWMP partners are in the final stages of revising the Manitoba NAWMP implementation plan. Activities in this proposal directly support core objectives in that plan.

MHHC continues to participate in watershed planning efforts, led by Manitoba Conservation Districts, in landscapes of interest. Tools to protect wetlands, which this proposal provides, will help to influence development and implementation of those watershed plans.

Project Location

  • The project is located in southwestern Manitoba and is entirely within the Manitoba NAWMP target area.
  • The project area is primarily in the Prairie ecozone, with the northern fringe entering the Boreal Plains ecozone. It also lies within the Aspen Parkland Ecoregion, as defined by Manitoba Conservation. Respecting the continental all-bird conservation planning framework, it is located in BCR 11, the Prairie Potholes.
  • The project area is within the glaciated prairie pothole region and includes the well-known Minnedosa pothole country. It is dominated by small wetlands, one hectare in size or less. Agriculture is the primary land use and includes a mix of livestock, grain and oilseeds. Environment Canada (Watmough et al, 2002) estimated wetland loss rates to be 3.9% from 1985 to 1999 in the Manitoba Aspen Parkland region – the highest wetland loss rate in the three Prairie provinces.

Please click here to view the project location/map (pdf file).

Project Contact
For more information on this project, please contact Lorne Colpitts, Chief Executive Officer, Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, Winnipeg, Manitoba.