Prairie Habitat Joint Venture
Encyclopedia
The Prairie Habitat Joint Venture is a partnership between governments, organizations, and conservation groups in the provinces
of Manitoba
, Saskatchewan
, and Alberta
in Canada
. It is one of four Canadian habitat joint ventures operating as part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
, and is contiguous with the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture in the United States
.
641 million in funding from several sources.
and aspen parkland
of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The Peace River
parkland region in northeastern British Columbia
is also a primary conservation target.
Additional programs administered by this venture include the conservation of the western boreal forest
ecology in the Taiga Plains
, Taiga Cordillera
, Boreal Cordillera
, Taiga Shield
and Boreal Plains
.
Three partnership programs with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have led to the conversion of agricultural and environmentally sensitive land to perennial cover, consistent with the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
A marsh monitoring program is under development, and will be implemented once adequate long-term capital and operational funding has been secured.
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is one of four Canadian habitat joint ventures operating as part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
North American Waterfowl Management Plan
The North American Waterfowl Management Plan is an international plan to conserve waterfowl and migratory birds in North America. It was established in 1986 by Canada and the United States, and expanded to include Mexico in 1994....
, and is contiguous with the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Structure
The joint venture is administered via an advisory board consisting of members from the following government agencies and independent organizations:- Agriculture and Agri-Food CanadaAgriculture and Agri-Food CanadaThe Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food, also referred to as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada , is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for policies governing agriculture production, farming income, research and development, inspection, and the regulation of animals...
- Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
- Alberta NAWMP Partnership
- Canadian Wildlife ServiceCanadian Wildlife ServiceThe Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS is a branch of the Department of the Environment, also known as Environment Canada, a department of the Government of Canada....
(part of Environment CanadaEnvironment CanadaEnvironment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
) - Ducks Unlimited CanadaDucks UnlimitedDucks Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It currently has approximately 780,000 members, mostly in the United States and Canada.-Introduction:Ducks Unlimited was...
- Manitoba Conservation
- Manitoba Heritage Habitat Corporation
- Nature Conservancy of Canada
- Saskatchewan Environment
- Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
- Wildlife Habitat Canada
Funding
By 2005, the Prairie Habitat Joint Venture had received $Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
641 million in funding from several sources.
- Federal government of the United StatesFederal government of the United StatesThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
, $198.7 million - United States non-government, $182 million
- Federal Government of CanadaGovernment of CanadaThe Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
, $94.4 million - Provincial governments in Canada, $77.3 million
- Canadian not-for-profit organizations, $42.9 million
- State governments in the United States, $37.4 million
- Canadian private, corporate and other, $8.7 million
- Others, $94,000
Purpose
The program's focus areas are the prairiePrairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
and aspen parkland
Aspen parkland
Aspen parkland refers to a very large area of transitional biome between prairie and boreal forest in two sections; the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta crossing the border into British Columbia, and a much larger area stretching from central Alberta, all across central Saskatchewan to...
of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The Peace River
Peace River (Canada)
The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...
parkland region in northeastern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
is also a primary conservation target.
Additional programs administered by this venture include the conservation of the western boreal forest
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
ecology in the Taiga Plains
Taiga Plains
The Taiga Plain is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone that covers most of the western Northwest Territories, extending to northwest Alberta, northeast British Columbia and slightly overlapping northeastern Yukon....
, Taiga Cordillera
Taiga Cordillera
The Taiga Cordillera is a rugged, mountainous terrestrial ecozone of Canada spanning most of northern Yukon and significant portions of the border between the Yukon and the Northwest Territories....
, Boreal Cordillera
Boreal Cordillera
The Boreal Cordillera is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone occupying most of the northern third of British Columbia and southern half of the Yukon. Within it is found Kluane National Park and Reserve, and a small portion of the southern range of Nahanni National Park Reserve. Most of the area's...
, Taiga Shield
Taiga Shield
The Taiga Shield Ecozone is an ecozone which stretches across Canada's subarctic region. Some regions exhibit exposed Precambrian bedrock of the Canadian Shield, the oldest of the world's geological formations...
and Boreal Plains
Boreal Plains
The Boreal Plains Ecozone is an ecozone in the western Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It also has minor extensions into northeastern British Columbia and south-central Northwest Territories....
.
Activities
The venture has secured land through various programs. By 2005, a total of 3642042 acres (14,738.8 km²) had been secured, of which 475856 acres (1,925.7 km²) were permanently secured via acquisition, land donation, conservation easement, or Crown land transfer; 800808 acres (3,240.8 km²) were in stewardship; and 2365378 acres (9,572.4 km²) are in the scope of various agreements, including leases, conservation agreements, and land use agreements. Approximately 55% of the required funding projected in 1989 has been received and allocated to various programs in order to secure 9800000 acres (39,659.2 km²) of land identified by provincial implementation plans to be within the scope of this venture.Three partnership programs with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada have led to the conversion of agricultural and environmentally sensitive land to perennial cover, consistent with the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
A marsh monitoring program is under development, and will be implemented once adequate long-term capital and operational funding has been secured.