Project activities will conserve priority wetlands and associated upland habitat in the pacific birds habitat joint venture and the canadian inter mountain joint venture located within the canadian…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.623), awarded a $1,150,000 Project Grant to The Nature Conservancy of Canada. The grant will fund activities to conserve priority wetlands and associated upland habitat in the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture and Canadian Inter Mountain Joint Venture regions of British Columbia, Canada. Key deliverables include securing at least 273 acres of high-value wetlands and 4,777 acres of associated uplands, enhancing 365 acres of wetland and riparian habitat, and managing grazing pressure on over 26,000 acres to maintain the carrying capacity of these ecosystems. The project will benefit migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, waterbirds, and wetland-associated land birds, while also protecting habitat for threatened species. This grant supports the joint venture objectives of restoring, enhancing, and protecting freshwater wetlands, wetland-associated uplands, and grasslands across the targeted regions.

Project activities will conserve priority wetlands and associated upland habitat in the pacific birds habitat joint venture and the canadian inter mountain joint venture located within the canadian province of british columbia.project activities will secure at least two hundred and seventy-three three high value wetland acres and at least four thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven acres of associated upland habitat and manage grazing pressure on or near wetlands and riparian areas, maintain working ranches with high ecological value wetlands (to avoid conversion), and increase retention of riparian forests. Conservation of wetland habitats in a regionally significant wetland area will benefit canadian inter mountain joint venture priority waterfowl. Additional habitat protection benefits will be provided to species-at-risk. Enhancement of three hundred and sixty five acres wetland, riparian and associated upland habitat will create more breeding, rearing and feeding habitat for waterfowl and protect sensitive areas utilized by livestock. Enhancement activities will also create and enhance habitat for threatened species. A primary canadian inter mountain joint venture objective that will be met by this project includes the restoration and enhancement of freshwater wetlands as well as wetland associated uplands and grasslands. Management activities across over twenty-six thousand acres will maintain carrying capacity of wetlands and associated upland habitat across the both the canadian inter mountain and pacific birds habitat joint ventures and will benefit waterfowl, shorebirds, water birds, and wetland-associated land birds. Proposed activities will contribute directly to fulfilling the canadian inter mountain joint venture and pacific birds habitat joint venture visions of landscapes that support healthy populations of birds, maintain biodiversity and foster sustainable resource use and a region united in bird habitat conservation.