You are here: Wetlands on your land
Wetlands on your land
As a landowner, you know good business and good stewardship go hand in hand. That’s why you want to work to keep your wetlands healthy. You know these areas provide a slough of benefits to your operation. Wetlands absorb and slowly release moisture – which reduces the effects of flooding in the spring and recharges the groundwater through the growing season. Your livestock relies on the areas around wetlands for clean drinking water and hay. You know these bodies of water are
helping your farm reach its full potential.
When managed properly, agricultural lands provide other ecological goods and services including, a safe and reliable source of food, clean water, carbon sequestration and wildlife habitat.
The benefits
Restoring a lost wetland brings with it a number of benefits for landowners:
- Reduce the negative impacts of drought and floods by retaining run off water
- Increase quantity and quality of ground and surface water resources
- Increase forage
- Reduce soil erosion and watershed sedimentation
- Reduce greenhouse gases by absorbing carbon emissions
The incentives
Alberta has many organizations which advocate to compensate landowners for their stewardship and conservation efforts (also known as environmental goods and services). Click here for a list of available Information, Links & Resources for landowners; from cost share programs, to funding, resources and expertise for wetland restoration to habitat conservation.
