Canadian Wetlands Roundtable
Sustainability through Responsible Management of Canada’s Wetlands
Responsible wetland management, planning, decision-making and implementation is critical to Canada’s future, and indeed the future of our entire planet. Conservationists have long understood the importance of wetlands for wildlife and people, and in the past several decades, wetlands have been recognized for their critical role in the natural prevention of flooding and erosion. They also absorb carbon dioxide and filter pollutants from air and water. Together, these benefits make wetlands a premier nature-based solution.
Courtesy of Ducks Unlimited Canada
Nature-based solutions use the power of nature’s intact landscapes—like wetlands—to do the job they were designed to do by allowing naturally occurring ecological processes to filter stormwater run-off, prevent erosion and flooding and store carbon, all while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services, resilience and biodiversity benefits for wildlife and people.
It is estimated that Canada has lost 70 per cent of its wetlands across its urban and rural, settled landscapes. The loss of these wetlands means that we no longer have many of the nature-based solutions and benefits they provide.