Did you know that Southern Manitoba is identified as one of the most critical opportunities for wetlands conservation in the country?
Today is World Wetlands Day (February 2nd), a day where we take special notice of those areas of our landscape that are precious ecosystems that hide all kinds of critters and creatures that thrive in these soggy, squishy habitats. But our wetlands provide more than just a home for these birds and animals of the marsh.
Since 1971, February 2nd has been deemed World Wetlands Day – a day to celebrate Manitoba’s diverse and beautiful wetlands. Deep carbon-rich peatlands, mysterious poplar swamps, misty ephemeral ponds, expansive marshes - these amazing places support carnivorous plants, dragonflies, frogs, and birds.
They are a nursery habitat for fish and support a wide diversity of insects that are the foundation of the food chain. Close to half of Canada’s wildlife species rely on wetlands for at least part of their lifecycle.
Wetlands are also a natural support to our homes and our land.
"Wetlands provide safety benefits with an efficiency and resiliency often greater than human-made infrastructures, including protecting our homes, businesses and roads from heavy rains and flooding. They also help regulate water runoff throughout the year, storing water during high precipitation periods and slowly releasing it during drought and dry periods," shares Cary Hamel, Director of Conservation with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Manitoba.
"Wetlands clean water by filtering out sediments, excess nutrients, pesticides, fertilizers and heavy metals," he continues. "This is important in wetlands connected or close to watercourses, since we use this water for drinking, fishing and agriculture. Wetlands also have a fantastic role in cultural and recreational opportunities like nature appreciation, birdwatching, paddling, fishing and hunting."
Extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent, and conditions would be much worse if we didn’t have wetlands acting as a huge sponge during floods, buffering our community infrastructure and working lands.
A recent research study involving the University of British Columbia and the Nature Conservancy of Canada examined the benefits that Canada's natural ecosystems provide for flood prevention. Flood prevention benefits provided by Canadian natural ecosystems - ScienceDirect.
The study identified the natural ecosystems across the country that capture and retain the highest amounts of runoff and that are simultaneously located upstream of urban and agricultural areas. The most important of these ecosystems help prevent flooding in 54% of urban areas and 74% of agricultural lands within floodplains.
It's worth repeating, Southern Manitoba has been identified as one of the most critical opportunities for wetlands conservation in Canada.
Hamel says more Manitobans have been partnering with the NCC because they care about our natural wetlands. He notes that communities across southern Manitoba have expressed concern – and hope – for conservation and the key role that nature plays in their community’s culture, economy and security.
"These communities, along with landowners, donors and partners have worked closely with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to conserve over 10,000 hectares of Manitoban wetlands," he says.
"Canada is home to an astonishing 25% of the world’s wetlands yet these diverse and vital ecosystems can be under-appreciated and under-protected. The country has lost an estimated 70% of its ponds, bogs, swamps, salt marshes, estuaries and other wetlands in southern areas where most people live. In some communities it is high as 95%."
Globally, 64 per cent of the world’s wetlands have already been lost, a rate three times greater than the loss of forests.
"But what's really exciting is the increase in recognition of how important wetlands are," adds Hamel. More and more landowners and communities are approaching us at the Nature Conservancy of Canada to partner with us to conserve land."