Five major ways duck habitat is helping you

It’s no secret that our work began in 1938 to address declining duck populations—hence our name. But in the 80-plus years since our first wetland project was established, science has shown the wetlands we first saved for ducks are helping people in really important ways!

Here are five things wetlands do for you simply by existing on the landscape:

1. Wetlands capture and store lots of carbon—so when we save them or lose them, it impacts climate change. Peatlands, like the bogs we steward in Canada’s boreal forest, store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined! And a wetland the size of an average house, which can be conserved on the prairies with a $50 donation, can store five tonnes of carbon—about the same amount a diesel car emits by driving 30,000 km.
2. Even when you take ducks out of the equation, more than 500 wildlife species rely on Canada’s wetlands, including 97 species at risk. Do you like having turtles, songbirds, pollinators, moose, dragonflies or fish in your life? Then you like wetlands.
3. Wetlands filter and process pollutants before they reach our lakes, beaches and groundwater. That includes the phosphorus that can feed potentially harmful algae blooms. When we save and restore wetlands, nature give us cleaner water even when we send nasty stuff her way.
4. Wetlands shield us from the worsening threats of climate change. Floods and droughts would hit us harder without wetlands. Because they act like sponges on the landscape, wetlands absorb excess water when there’s too much and release stored water into the soil when there’s not enough. And in the face of rising oceans, salt marshes reduce the energy of waves to help reduce damage from storms.
5. Tired of rising taxes? Wetlands save you money. When we lose them, their environmental services need to be replaced with other infrastructure. With support from people like you, we’ve conserved and restored 6.6 million acres of habitat so far, which provides $5.66 billion annually in economic value. Nature is a high-value asset for us all!

It’s plain to see that what’s good for the ducks is good for you. But keeping wetlands on our landscapes doesn’t just happen. Canada is still losing about 80 acres of wetlands every day. The good news is that it’s easy for you to help safeguard more of the wetlands that remain—and in doing so, help yourself and your fellow Canadians in really important ways!