In September 2008, the Alberta Water Council submitted to the government of Alberta its recommendations for a new provincial wetland policy and implementation plan. Today, Albertans still do not have a provincewide wetland policy. And wetlands continue to be degraded and lost throughout Alberta.
The wetland policy and implementation plan recommended by the Alberta Water Council was the culmination of three years of extensive consultation with Albertans and water resource stakeholder groups. In fact, 23 of 25 stakeholder groups strongly supported this policy because it will:
• maintain the remaining wetland area throughout the province;
• include a process to address and alleviate impacts to wetlands regardless of severity;
• establish a clear plan to effectively implement the policy.
These core policy directions were supported by the public, environment, government and industry respondents. The recommended wetland policy would achieve many things, most importantly: it would stop further wetland loss in Alberta. This does not mean development that impacts wetlands would stop, but that future development must strive to avoid or minimize their impacts to wetlands. In addition, development that does impact natural wetlands must compensate for this loss. This means that an equivalent or greater wetland area must be restored or created as close to the impacted site as possible.
Wetlands are an important natural asset in Alberta, providing habitat for waterfowl and wildlife, and areas for recreational activities. Wetlands are also vital to our environment and health by helping to keep our water supply abundant and clean, buffer us from catastrophic floods, and positively influence local climatic conditions.
But these wetlands are also deteriorating and in some parts of the province, disappearing due to demands agriculture and urban development. In Alberta, we have lost up to 70 per cent of the wetlands in the settled areas of the province, and this lost continues daily. Furthermore, this loss has not stopped as we continue to lose wetlands annually throughout Central and Southern Alberta.
In Northern Alberta, industrial development is impacting vast boreal forest wetlands. The high connectivity of boreal wetlands means that the health and water quality of wetlands downstream is directly dependent on upstream activities. These wetlands are also varied in type and interconnected over large areas, meaning that once they are removed from the landscape they are difficult if not impossible to restore.
We cannot continue on this path. If we want healthy wetlands for a healthy Alberta, we must make changes now. Wetlands must be considered a valued feature in sustainable development.
Ducks Unlimited Canada encourages the government of Alberta to accept the recommendations of the Alberta Water Council as public policy. Ducks Unlimited also encourages Albertans who care about the future of our wetlands and this province to call their MLA in support of the wetland policy developed by the Alberta Water Council.
Landowners, government, industry and conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited Canada must work together to meet the economic, social and environmental needs of Albertans without sacrificing wetlands. All parties need to be engaged in supporting and implementing an effective wetland policy that includes both enforceable regulations and incentives for landowners and users to protect, restore and manage wetlands. The impacts of wetland loss and water quality affect us all. We must speak up now for a wetland policy that will ensure wetlands for generations tomorrow.
Pat Kehoe is the manager of provincial operations for Ducks Unlimited Canada in Alberta.