It features grasslands, wetlands, creeks, mixed forests and includes 27 wildlife species. Outside of Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta, a 16.5 square kilometre property known as The Yarrow has been conserved after a $6.9-million fundraising campaign. They are often involved in nature conservancy projects to protect grasslands.
So, it's actually a win-win for ranchers and the environment.”ĭuane Thompson, chairman of the environment committee with the Canadian Cattle Association, said in a statement that farmers and ranchers are proud of their role in managing and protecting the at-risk ecosystems. “It requires a little bit of disturbance from grazing animals to maintain range health … and then on the flip side of that is a healthy sustainable grazing operation leads to more nutritious forage for cattle. As long as the cattle are grazed sustainably, it's actually a mutually beneficial relationship. “So, the grasslands are operated as cattle operations. “A lot of the grasslands that are intact today are working ranches,” he said. Horgan said grasslands can also be an economic benefit for local communities and are essential to food security. “So, when you get these kinds of fires like the ones that are happening in Alberta right now, carbon stored in the grasslands isn't threatened by those fires like carbon stored in forests.”Īcross Alberta, wildfires have already scorched more than 10,000 square kilometres of forest this year. “The carbon storage in grasslands is incredible and it's all stored securely underground,” he said. Hogan said grasslands also are important for reducing the effects of climate change. They keep soil in place, because of extensive root networks, so there's less erosion along lakes and rivers. They store and filter water, preventing both floods and droughts. “So, they provide a lot of benefit to everyday Canadians' lives, even if you don't live or work in the grasslands.” “They provide a lot of what we call ecosystem services,” he said. Grasslands, he said, are often converted to fields for growing crops or taken over by expanding cities and towns.īut he calls them an “unsung hero” for the environment. There's only about 18 per cent left of the Great Plains Prairie grasslands in Canada and we continue to lose about (600 square kilometres) a year.” “They are Canada's most endangered ecosystem. “What we're trying to do is accelerate the rate of conservation in the Prairie Provinces, specifically in the grasslands,” Jeremy Hogan, the non-profit organization's director of prairie grassland conservation, said in an interview. The plan aims to raise $500 million by 2030 to conserve more than 5,000 square kilometres - about six times the size of Calgary - in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We are expanding these ways of managing land and converting former farmland into acid grassland and heathland, to make more space for birds such as woodlarks and rare stone-curlews.The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced a plan to protect iconic Prairie grasslands, considered one of the most endangered and least protected ecosystems in the country. Water is a vital part of Minsmere’s appeal and we work hard to get the water levels and salinity right across the reserve, with different species thriving in different conditions. They play a vital role improving the habitat for some of our rarest plants and minibeasts, such as the brilliantly named great green bushcricket. Or the heathlands, where nightjars whirr, natterjack toads croak and silver-studded blue butterflies flutter.ĭon't be surprised so see cattle and ponies grazing here. Take the reedbeds, where marsh harrier, otters and water voles can be found. The reserve’s reedbeds, wet grasslands and heathlands are all carefully managed to make them ideal places for a huge variety of wildlife.
Minsmere’s varied landscapes makes it an ideal spot to see how we manage and protect different habitats for the benefit of wildlife.
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