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- The St. Lawrence Valley wetlands draws millions of waterfowl every year during their migration.
Sadly, these wetlands have come under tremendous pressure from human development and habitat losses have been extensive – exceeding 70 per cent in some areas.
Help save these wetlands by donating to our Wetlands for Tomorrow campaign! - Western Boreal Forest
Pages in this Article
- Canadian priorities for wetland and wildlife conservation programs
- Georgia Basin, British Columbia
- Fraser River Plateau and Columbia River Basin, British Columbia
- Missouri Coteau, Saskatchewan
- Parkland Ecoregion
- Boreal Forest of Canada
- Pintail Initiative, Alberta and Saskatchewan
- Great Lakes Basin, Ontario
- St. Lawrence Valley, Ontario and Quebec
- Atlantic Coastal Region, Maritime Provinces
Boreal Forest of Canada
Canada’s wetland-rich boreal forest not only supports scores of waterfowl and wildlife – people also rely on its vast natural resources. Using forward-thinking strategies and research, DUC is committed to finding a sustainable balance between development and protection while maintaining ecosystem functions.
Canada’s boreal forest contains almost one-quarter of the world’s remaining intact forests and holds more fresh water in its wetlands, lakes and rivers – the foundation for a rich diversity of life – than any other place on Earth. Home to tens of millions of breeding, staging and molting waterfowl, and millions of shorebirds, the wetland areas of the forest are also critically important to woodland caribou, bears, beavers, wolves, moose and more than three billion land birds. The boreal forest also sustains thousands of jobs and generates billions of dollars for the Canadian economy.
However, recent advances in forestry, oil, gas and mineral extraction, as well
as expanding agriculture, hydropower developments and global warming, re-quire action to ensure conservation of the habitats within this vast resource-rich region. Further development of the natural resources within the boreal forest is not a question of if, but of when, where and how much. It is critical to protect areas of the forest now, so wildlife can coexist with these other uses.
DUC envisions the country’s boreal forest as an ecologically intact and productive habitat that will continue to sustain a high diversity and abundance of wetlands, waterfowl and associated water birds. We want Canada’s boreal forest to remain a mosaic of forest, rivers, wetlands and lakes that will continue to function with ecological integrity and support historical numbers of breeding, molting and migrating waterfowl and other wetland-dependent wildlife.
To attain this vision, DUC will work alongside forward-thinking governments, industry, First Nations and aboriginal groups, academic institutions, foundations and conservation organizations to help establish a national boreal conservation network that includes ecosystem-based sustainable development, world-leading best management practices, and an extensive network of large, wetland-rich protected areas.
We believe it is vital to find balance between development and protection while ensuring that ecosystem functions are maintained. DUC recently signed the Canada Forest Accord 2003-2008 that commits our organization to applying knowledge and resources to sustainable forest management. DUC’s urgency to conserve the boreal forest stems from our more than 68 years of delivering conservation programs on Canada’s settled landscapes. We have learned that we are far better off protecting intact systems while there is still opportunity. In the case of Canada’s boreal forest, we must take advantage of this opportunity, now.
Wetlands for Tomorrow
Wetlands for Tomorrow is a fundraising initiative of Ducks Unlimited Canada. Your investment can help save our wetlands for tomorrow - today.
