Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation: Does Drainage Pay?

March 9, 2023 | Online Presentation | Free |

Dr. Shari Clare will be giving a free online talk at Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation’s Prairie’s Got the Goods Week on March 9, 2023 at 3:pm.

Presentation Abstract: Wetlands provide essential habitat for a large number of aquatic and terrestrial species, while also providing a wide range of ecosystem services that benefit com- munities both locally and regionally. As ecosystems that receive atmospheric, sur- face water, and groundwater inputs, wetlands are also important sentinels of eco- system change. Despite their environmental importance, wetland loss across the Canadian prairies is extensive, with the conversion of wetlands in cultivated agri- cultural landscapes being one of the primary drivers of wetland habitat loss. While other sectors of the agricultural industry have established initiatives to maintain wetlands, a common narrative within the conventional cropping sector is that wet- land retention leads to lost acreage and overlap of crop inputs, and that there are financial benefits associated with wetland drainage. This presentation will provide an overview of the range of ecosystem services that are provided by wetlands in agricultural landscapes, and will present results from research conducted in Alber- ta that explicitly quantified crop productivity within drained wetland basins to better understand the extent to which producers financially benefit from wetland drainage practices. Opportunities for managing wetlands in a way that maximizes benefits to producers and the public will also be discussed.

You can also check out this blog about this project, or, if you are super keen, you can read the resulting peer reviewed publication in Wetland Ecology and Management.

Learn about other presentations at Prairie’s Got the Goods Week, March 6 to 10.