HomeDraft Provincial Policy To Help Plug Drain on Wetland Loss 
Fredericton NB, Dec. 6 – New Brunswick's proposed provincial wetlands conservation policy tabled yesterday for public input is the most progressive wetland policy that has been proposed in Atlantic Canada, according to Ducks Unlimited, Canada's leading wetland conservation organization.
"If implemented, the wetlands policy will go a long way toward conserving our wetland resources," said Andrew MacInnis, habitat biologist with Ducks Unlimited in Fredericton. "We congratulate the Province of New Brunswick on this initiative."
MacInnis said wetlands are among the province's most productive habitats. Conserving the habitat base will help sustain wildlife populations and contribute to cleaning the province's water supplies for future generations.
The policy proposes no loss of wetlands designated as Provincially Significant, which includes coastal marshes, and no net loss of function of all other wetlands. According to Mark Gloutney, Ducks Unlimited's conservation program manager for Atlantic Canada, the policy recognizes the many inherent economic values that wetlands and associated habitats provide to the people of New Brunswick.
"For centuries, wetlands and other native lands have been our first source of water treatment by acting as filters that remove impurities," Gloutney said. "By capturing and storing water, wetlands also help to moderate spring floods. On the coast, wetlands protect against the powerful force of storm surges."
While it's difficult to quantify the benefits of natural systems like wetlands, you don't have to look too far to see the financial impact of wetland loss. The proposed policy identifies that in Moncton, money is being spent on flood control where salt marsh has been converted to other land uses. Just south of the border in New York, wetlands are being conserved as a viable option to the expense of increasing water treatment systems. Research profiled in Ducks Unlimited's report to the Walkerton Inquiry, submitted earlier this year, proves that natural wetlands capture and break down significant amounts of pesticides, sediment and nutrients.
While wetland conservation affords great benefits to people and wildlife, the amount of land to be impacted by the proposed policy is relatively small. Only four per cent of New Brunswick's land is currently classed as wetland habitat. However, the threats to these vital habitats warrant legislated protection.
"The region's wetlands are being pressured in ways that are unprecedented," Gloutney said. "Urban expansion and coastal development, increased siltation and degradation from industrial and agricultural runoff, and increased recreational use degrade and destroy wetlands. The proposed policy brings us closer to ensuring a future for these vitally important areas."
For more than 60 years, Ducks Unlimited has been conserving Canada's wetlands and associated habitats for the benefit of waterfowl, other wildlife and people. In New Brunswick, DU has conserved more than 14,500 hectares (36,000 acres) of wetlands through partnerships with 2,000 landowners.
