New financial incentives under the province’s Wetland Restoration Incentive Program will help restore the condition of wetlands, improve water quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick announced.
Landowners who sign a conservation agreement will be provided a one-time payment to ensure natural landscapes are protected over the long-term. An additional ecological goods and services payment will also be provided that recognizes the unique value of restored wetlands and helps offset operational costs incurred by the landowner in retaining the restored wetlands on their land.
“This important program will be in effect over the next four years and we look forward to working to provide viable options for landowners as we recognize their role as environmental stewards of the agricultural landscape in Manitoba,” said Melnick.
This new program is part of a larger Sustainable Agriculture Initiative led by Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives. This initiative assists Manitoba’s agricultural sector to remain environmentally sustainable for the long term. It will provide producers with direct payments of nearly $2 million over the next four years.
By 2012, through this program, it is anticipated over 2,500 acres of lost wetlands will be restored, up to 150 producers will be involved and over 10 tonnes of phosphorus and 10 tonnes of nitrogen will be retained annually on the landscape that would otherwise be lost to nearby streams, rivers and lakes. It is also estimated that about 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year will be tied up or sequestered and the amount of carbon dioxide retained through restoration of these wetlands will be about 120,000 tonnes by the year 2050, helping the province achieve its targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases.
This initiative is one of 60 specific actions included in Beyond Kyoto, Manitoba’s updated climate change action plan which was announced in April and is supported by $145 million in investments to reduce greenhouse gases.
Earlier this year, Manitoba became the first jurisdiction in North America to enshrine its Kyoto reduction target in legislation.
Partners in the program are Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation and Ducks Unlimited Canada, two organizations that have considerable wetland expertise and are recognized nationally as experts in the delivery of conservation agreements, the minister said.
“This is an excellent opportunity to work co-operatively with landowners to achieve significant environmental benefits and, with this funding, project partners can offer new financial incentives to landowners to achieve significant environmental gains,” said John Whitaker, board chair of the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.
“We are pleased with this announcement as recognition of the role that our prairie wetlands play in moderating climate change and storing excess nutrients is a significant step towards their protection and restoration,” said Bob Grant, manager of provincial operations for Ducks Unlimited Canada.
