An Analysis of Wetland Policy in Atlantic Canada

Abstract

Atlantic Canada has experienced considerable wetland loss over the past 300 years. Federal and provincial governments have responded with wetland conservation policies, regulations and other legislative tools. This paper reviews current wetland conservation policies in Atlantic Canada and explores the feasibility of a coordinated federal-provincial approach to wetland compensation in the region. The analysis indicates that although policies differ somewhat in goals and application, there is strong consensus support for the mitigation hierarchy of avoidance, minimization and compensation. It is concluded that there is also a solid policy basis for a coordinated approach to decisions regarding compensation mechanisms, ratios and monitoring in Atlantic Canada.Résumé : La région du Canada Atlantique a subi une perte considérable de milieux humides au cours des 300 dernières années. Les gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux ont réagi à cette situation par l'introduction de politiques, règlements et autres outils législatifs ayant pour objectif la conservation des milieux humides subsistants. Ces politiques ont été examinées afin de déterminer la faisabilité d'une approche concertée de conservation, réhabilitation et compensation des milieux humides dans la région. Notre analyse démontre que bien que les politiques varient quant à leurs objectifs et leur mise en oeuvre, un fort consensus existe en faveur d'une approche privilégiant d'abord d'éviter autant que possible les pertes de milieux humides, de minimiser ces pertes et, en troisième lieu, de les compenser. Nous concluons qu'il existe une solide base sur laquelle construire une approche décisionnelle concertée en matière de mécanismes, de ratios et de supervision de la compensation des milieux humides dans le Canada Atlantique.

Rapid improvement of lake acid–base status in Atlantic Canada following steep decline in precipitation acidity

“…Many factors can affect chemical recovery of aquatic ecosystems from acidification, including climate, geochemical factors influencing storage or release of acidic compounds from forest soils as well as wetlands (Ferguson and Jeffries 2015), the latter representing a significant proportions of the land surface area in Atlantic Canada (Austen and Hanson 2007). Moreover, previous studies have suggested that, by affecting landscape properties, including vegetation and soils, increased temperature and precipitation may lead to increases in lake dissolved organic carbon (DOC), notably at high latitudes (Worrall et al 2004;Clair et al 2011;Warner et al 2020;Imtiazy et al 2020;Houle et al 2020a).…”

New mapping techniques to estimate the preferential loss of small wetlands on prairie landscapes

“…Several studies cite wetland loss rates for the developed areas of Canada (e.g. Bedford, ; Warner and Asada, ; Austen and Hanson, ). Our power‐law analysis found a much lower wetland area loss within the Beaverhill watershed, a phenomenon that could be attributed to the large part of the Beaverhill watershed that is designated as parks or protected areas.…”

A large-scale change monitoring of wetlands using time series Landsat imagery on Google Earth Engine: a case study in Newfoundland

“…While there has been extensive work dedicated to establishing the current extent of wetlands across the island [44,45], there exists very little information as it regards to past and future trends of wetland loss and change. Rough estimates state that around 80-98% of wetlands in and around Canadian cities and two-thirds of coastal marsh in Atlantic Canada have been lost since the time of settlement [46,47]. However, the specifics of wetland loss and change in Newfoundland are not yet known.…”