Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan
Background
In 1994, the Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan (GLWCAP) brought together various government and non-government partners in an effort to conserve and rehabilitate remaining wetlands. The Action Plan complements the goals and objectives of the Federal Wetlands Policy (1991) and the Ontario Wetlands Policy Statement (1992).
It did not represent a new program with designated resources;
rather it called for a new way of doing business (through
coordination, partnerships and networking) and aggressive
pursuit of wetland conservation opportunities through existing
programs. It was an umbrella for reporting on collective wetlands
conservation activities throughout the Canadian side of the
Great Lakes basin.
The first plan of action (1994 - 2001) was produced under the umbrella of the 25-year Strategic Plan for Wetlands of the Great Lakes Basin. Launched in 1993, the Strategic Plan involves several public and private agencies working together with individual citizens and landowners. The long-term goal of the plan is to protect the area and function of 30,000 hectares of existing wetlands in the Great Lakes basin by the year 2020.
In July 1994, the federal and provincial environment ministers signed the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem (COA), a six-year agreement that set specific targets and time frames for restoring, protecting and sustaining the basin's ecosystems. GLWCAP was a key delivery mechanism for COA's goal of rehabilitating and protecting 6,000 hectares of wetland habitat by the year 2001. This target was surpassed, with over 5,000 hectares of wetland receiving protection and more than 12,000 hectares being rehabilitated.
GLWCAP's strategies
and associated milestones are implemented by a team of representatives
from Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,
Ducks Unlimited Canada, Ontario Nature, Conservation Ontario
and The Nature Conservancy of Canada. Other major partners
include the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture of the North American
Waterfowl Management Plan, and the Great Lakes Sustainability
Fund.
The second
Action Plan, launched in 2002, was highly successful. In addition
to the protection of several thousand hectares of wetlands
in the Great Lakes basin, accomplishments of the second Action
Plan include the production of wetland publications, displays
and facilitation of workshops, and wetland restoration training,
and the completion of a spatially explicit, seamless binational
summary of coastal wetland distribution in the Great Lakes
basin. The successes of the second GLWCAP are outlined in
detail in the Great
Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan Highlights Report
(2003-2005) and the Great
Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan Highlights Report
(2001-2003). Earlier reports are also available (see publications),
documenting partnership progress through the first Action
Plan.
The third Action Plan, launched in 2005, now aligns GLWCAP
phases with the renewal cycles of COA. It outlines a new series
of milestones under the same broad conservation strategies developed
in earlier Action Plans. Progress under each milestone is evaluated
at the end of each Action Plan and these evaluations are used to help
target priority areas and the milestones for the next Action Plan. In
the third Action Plan, the milestones will focus on important issues
such as wetland health status and trends monitoring, the functions and
ecological goods and services of all wetlands, biodiversity and species
at risk. Progress under each milestone will be evaluated in 2010.
Strategies and
Milestones under the third Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation
Action Plan (2005-2010)
STRATEGY 1
Increase Awareness and Commitment to Protecting Wetlands
Publicize information concerning wetland values, protection, rehabilitation,
policies and regulations, and encourage involvement by individuals,
groups, corporations and industries in all aspects of Great
Lakes wetlands protection and rehabilitation.
| 1.1 |
Encourage wetland conservation
by publicizing the societal, ecological and economic values
of wetlands. This may involve developing, publishing and
distributing fact sheets, brochures, educational packages and/or
newsletters, as well as the delivery of extension workshops
to targeted audiences. |
| 1.2 |
Regularly update and maintain a publicly accessible GLWCAP website.
|
| 1.3 |
Revise and re-publish the GLWCAP publication
"Working Around Wetlands: What You Should Know". |
| 1.4 |
Develop/update educational materials
promoting the role of wetlands within the hydrological
cycle, Great Lakes tributary watersheds and the Great
Lakes Basin (i.e., a landscape level perspective). |
STRATEGY 2
Improve Wetland Science, Data and Monitoring
Conduct and facilitate study of wetland functions, status
and trends to improve understanding, communicate values, and
set priorities for protection and rehabilitation.
| 2.1 |
Complete and make available a
database to electronically store information for Great Lakes coastal
wetlands evaluated using the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES).
|
| 2.2 |
Continue work to develop a modified
provincial wetland evaluation system using remotely-sensed information,
GIS technology and field information to identify wetlands and evaluate
their ecological significance. |
| 2.3 |
Continue wetland ecosystem monitoring
and assessment at a variety of spatial and temporal scales (e.g., Durham
Region Coastal Wetland Monitoring Project), including promotion and enhancement
of a binational Great Lakes wetland monitoring program (e.g., the community-based
Marsh Monitoring Program, Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium indicator development).
|
| 2.4 |
Continue to investigate, assess and report
on the status and trends in coastal wetland health (e.g., via
participation/partnership with the State of the Lake Ecosystem Conference
(SOLEC) and the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium). |
| 2.5 |
Undertake the Wetland Conversion Analysis
project to calculate new estimates of wetland loss and gain and investigate
temporal trends in wetland conversion in Southern Ontario. |
| 2.6 |
Investigate the hydrological functions
of how wetlands contribute to maintaining/enhancing drinking water quality
and the hydrological connectivity of wetlands to the broader watershed/sub-watershed.
Develop case studies as needed. |
| 2.7 |
Develop protocols for monitoring wetlands
and for assessing wetland functions and encourage their implementation. |
| 2.8 |
Develop case studies to quantify Ecological Goods
and Services for Ontario specific wetlands based on known ecological functions. |
| 2.9 |
Prepare a research paper and/or develop a document
summarizing 'Best Management Practices' for managing invasive Common Reed, Phragmites australis. |
| 2.10 |
Encourage a federal -provincial
data sharing and data use agreement that facilitates interagency
collaboration and communication across shared programs
(including biodiversity, species at risk, wetlands, forests
and other natural heritage areas). |
STRATEGY 3
Secure Wetlands and Encourage Stewardship
Secure important wetlands using the most effective techniques.
Undertake extension and stewardship activities with private landowners
to protect the area and function of existing Great Lakes Basin wetlands
and achieve the "no loss" long-term goals.
| 3.1 |
Secure 6,000 hectares
of wetland using fee-simple purchase, land donations and/or
conservation easements. . |
| 3.2 |
Promote and facilitate responsible
wetland protection and management (Strategy 4) on private lands by
landowners through extension and stewardship programs. |
| 3.3 |
Establish a framework for
determining basin-wide priority areas for securement and
conservation that considers the broader landscape context
(e.g., importance of habitat connectivity, watershed context,
adjacent lands, natural heritage systems, protected area networks). |
| 3.4 |
Encourage uptake of grants,
loans and other financial incentives to improve wetland
protection (e.g., Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program,
Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, Agricultural Policy
Framework, Ecogifts). |
| 3.5 |
Establish management/conservation plans on secured wetlands.
|
STRATEGY 4
Create, Enhance, Rehabilitate, Restore, and Manage Wetlands
Undertake rehabilitation projects at priority sites. Pursue
opportunities for wetland rehabilitation through existing programs,
including Remedial Action Plans and the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture.
In the long-term, consider ecological and watershed-based goals to
achieve an overall increase in the area and function of wetlands in
the Great Lakes Basin.
| 4.1 |
Create, enhance, rehabilitate
and restore 6 000 hectares of wetlands. |
| 4.2 |
Continue to provide annual training
opportunities via the Temperate Wetlands Restoration Training
Course (Level 1), including development of a course in
eastern Ontario. Where possible, develop Level II Temperate
Wetland Restoration Training initiatives across southern
Ontario to provide hands-on training opportunities. |
| 4.3 |
Continue to evaluate and adapt wetland
management practises to ensure the long-term function of individual
wetlands is retained. |
STRATEGY 5
Strengthen Legislation, Policies, Agreements and Compliance
Refine and improve compliance with existing regulatory programs.
Strengthen wetland conservation and protection through ongoing and
upcoming regulatory/agreement/policy review opportunities.
| 5.1 |
Conduct research studies, gap
analyses and develop performance measures to evaluate effectiveness
of provincial policies (e.g. Provincial Policy Statement, Niagara
Escarpment Plan) to protect wetlands and recommend any changes and
resources required to improve effectiveness of the policy. |
| 5.2 |
Review and comment on legislative/policy
reviews affecting wetlands to increase protection of all wetlands and strengthen
impact assessment rigour; GLWCAP coordination of comments where possible. |
| 5.3 |
Encourage explicit identification of GLWCAP
priorities within the next Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.
|
| 5.4 |
Develop guidance documents to aid
in conducting and/or reviewing environmental impact studies and functional
assessments in support the Conservation Authorities Act and the Planning Act.
|
| 5.5 |
Encourage the protection of all wetlands,
including locally significant and unevaluated wetlands.
|
| 5.6 |
Support the wetland evaluation
process, which identifies wetlands for protection under
the Planning Act (see milestones 2.2 and 6.1).
|
| 5.7 |
Conduct a review on the effectiveness
of existing policy and assessment processes as to their protection of wetlands,
with particular focus on infrastructure (as defined in the PPS 2005) projects.
|
STRATEGY 6
Strengthen and Support Local Land Use Planning and Commitment
to Wetland Conservation
Ensure that all new plans such as resource-management plans, watershed-management
plans, local land use plans, Official Plans and habitat management
plans incorporate wetland protection and rehabilitation strategies.
Encourage the sustainable use of wetland-associated uplands.
| 6.1 |
Support and undertake wetland evaluations using
the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System and provide the information to local planning
authorities to support the Provincial Policy Statement; place priority on wetlands
that are at risk or identified as priorities in other planning vehicles.
Increase capacity for the evaluation of wetlands by OMNR, NGOs and others,
the review and approval of evaluations by OMNR and, the incorporation of significant
wetlands by local planning authorities in to Official Plans and (as appropriate) zoning by-laws. |
| 6.2 |
Update the OMNR Natural Heritage Reference Manual, including
information to support natural heritage policies related to coastal wetlands. |
| 6.3 |
Identify, promote and assist activities of conservation
authorities and municipalities to maintain current watershed plans/strategies, integrated
resource-management plans, zoning and other activities for wetlands protection and restoration. |
| 6.4 |
Develop Biodiversity Conservation Strategies for all
Great Lakes in Ontario; ensure that a focus on coastal wetlands conservation is incorporated
into the Strategies and into future priority setting at local and provincial/federal scales. |
| 6.5 |
Encourage and support the adoption of wetland conservation
policies by municipalities through the provision of information and/or advice during the review
of land use planning documents (e.g., Official Plans, Environmental Impact Studies, applications),
in accordance with GLWCAP member jurisdiction or mandates.
|
| 6.6 |
Encourage the protection and stewardship of all wetlands by planning authorities.
|
STRATEGY 7
Improve Coordination and Strengthen Partnerships
Coordinate and integrate Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action
Plan actions with other ongoing programs that affect Great
Lakes wetlands, in particular activities associated with relevant
international conventions and agreements.
| 7.1 |
Build and maintain alliances
and partnerships with other conservation agencies/initiatives to
ensure and improve coordination and efficiency. |
| 7.2 |
Improve linkages of GLWCAP actions
to binational Great Lakes wetlands activities such as Lakewide Management
Plans, Great Lake Biodiversity Conservation Strategies, Remedial Action
Plans and State of the Lake Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC).
|
| 7.3 |
Improve linkages of GLWCAP actions
to binational Great Lakes wetlands monitoring and research initiatives
such as the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Commission
and the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Consortium. |
| 7.4 |
Improve linkages and coordination of
GLWCAP actions with habitat and species-based conservation initiatives
such as the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and the Eastern
Habitat Joint Venture. |
| 7.5 |
Encourage uptake of GLWCAP actions
within established partner-based collaboratives such as the Stewardship
Network of Ontario and Ontario's Biodiversity Council. |
| 7.6 |
Optimize implementation of GLWCAP
through the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem.
|
| 7.7 |
Plan an integrated wetland workshop to discuss the status of wetlands and identify future direction.
|
STRATEGY 8
Evaluate the Program
Evaluate Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan components,
including a careful assessment of individual techniques and
their application.
| 8.1 |
Share partners' annual
workplans in implementation team. |
| 8.2 |
Evaluate and report on progress/accomplishments on meeting GLWCAP milestones by 2010.
|
| 8.3 |
Regularly review program
by all implementation team partners. |
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