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Conservation solutions through collaboration What does Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) have in common with the oil and gas industry and government regulators? According to Dave Kay, national manager of industry relations with DUC, all three have a stake in what’s happening above and below the ground in an ecosystem that provides essential breeding grounds for millions of the continent’s waterfowl. That common ground was the foundation for an innovative two-day Conservation Solutions conference held in Calgary recently. The event, Above: A new partnership agreement brings back life to wetlands and sponsored by DUC and Suncor Energy Foundation, brought together grasslands west of Williams Lake in British Columbia’s interior. industry, government and non-governmental organizations to collaborate on developing environmentally sustainable land use practices in the wetland-rich Western boreal forest. Gordon Lambert, vice president of sustainable development at Suncor, called the event “an important opportunity to explore what really are the ‘best practices’ in conservation.” Drawing a distinction between cooperation and collaboration, As part of B.C.’s Crown Range Wetland Enhancement he urged participants to seek collaboration as the higher-level Program in the Interior, the Haines Lake Project reapproach. “While cooperation is about pursuing individual establishes three kilometers of fence to control cattle interests jointly, collaboration is a joint effort towards a grazing around 533 hectares of wetlands and grasscommon position,” said Lambert. land. Native plants will regrow and flourish as a result western Region “We know from experience that environmentally sustainable of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) efforts, creating B. C . / b o r e a l land use can only be achieved through a collaborative, solutions quality wildlife habitat. This project continues DUC’s based approach with land users. Incorporating sound environrelationship with Wildlife Habitat Canada, the B.C. Habitat mental knowledge into resource development planning is the best Conservation Trust Foundation, Alexis Creek Ranch, and the way to avoid or minimize negative impacts on wetlands,” said Kay. “This Stone Band First Nation. workshop helps us understand better what industry’s challenges are around resource development in wetland-rich landscapes so we can help develop practical solutions to boreal wetland conservation.” Calling the event another example of industry collaboration aimed at industry-wide improvements, Lambert added that this particular conference was, “powerful because we are drawing upon our collective knowledge and experiences, and using the deep expertise that DUC has The federal government renewed interim surface and in wetlands.” sub-surface protection of two critical waterfowl areas in the Northwest Territories, The Ramparts River and Wetlands (Ts’ude niline Tu’eyeta, 14,700 square kilometres), in the “We know from experience that lower Mackenzie River Valley and the Dehcho Interim environmentally sustainable land use Measures Agreement land withdrawal (54,708 square can only be achieved through a kilometres) west of Great Slave Lake. Interim surface and collaborative, solutions-based sub-surface protection prevents development and mineral approach with land users.” staking, while proposals to designate these areas as national wildlife areas are reviewed. Both are partially located in – Dave Kay, National manager of industry relations, Ducks Unlimited Canada Ducks Unlimited Canada priority conservation areas.
Wetland enhancement in the Chilcotin
Protection renewed for NWT waterfowl areas
Conservator | spring 2012
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