Conservation projects receive $2.86M

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This article was published 10/03/2022 (1466 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation has doled out $2.86 million for new conservation projects to support producers and promote resilience in the face of climate change.

Tim Sopuck, the organization’s trust grants manager, described the funding as a “game-changer” for conservation in Manitoba. The funding for 20 projects delivered by 14 Manitoba-based conservation groups is part of an important conversation about how the province is adapting to climate change and its impact on the agricultural landscape.

“It’s really exciting and gratifying to be a part of a process that ensures Manitoba conservation groups are doing new conservation activities on the ground this year,” Sopuck said.

The revenue source for these projects is $204 million in contributions made to the Winnipeg Foundation between 2018 and 2020 to establish three trusts dedicated to land, water and wildlife conservation. The MHHC manages the grant programs for the trusts.

Included in the 2022 funding is $400,000 for Manitoba Beef Producers, $200,000 for Holistic Management Canada in support of its Regenerative Agriculture Accelerator Project, $400,000 for Ducks Unlimited Canada and $25,000 for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

The $2.86 million in trust funding is being matched by $6.6 million in funds and services by the groups.

Manitoba has created a unique and innovative approach to conservation in the province with the creation of this significant fund, Sopuck said. The funds provide consistency for groups in knowing the money will be available in the continued pursuit of conservation projects.

A throughline with the projects receiving funding in 2022 has been a drive to create a resilient landscape, in the face of extreme weather and climate change transforming natural environments.

“If you do enough of these projects over the long term, what they’re really doing is helping our agricultural landscape adapt to the impacts of climate change that we know are here and are also coming in greater measure,” Sopuck said. “Over time, we’re building resilience to those climate change impacts.”

Producers are an important piece of the ecosystem conservation puzzle, he added. Many projects receiving support from the trust offer funding to offset the costs landowners may face when looking to foster conservation practices on their production.

“They [producers] deserve some consideration for those costs that they are incurring,” Sopuck said.

The MMHC drew on a wide spectrum of groups when it came to dividing up funds. Some came to the table with a rich history of experience in conservation efforts, while others are more boots-on-the-ground, grassroots initiatives needing support.

The funding provided by the conservation trust will have a significant impact with helping the preservation and conservation of natural environments, said Mark Francis, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s manager of provincial operations in Manitoba.

“This is really a feather in the cap to Manitoba. We’re pleased and appreciate the fact that the government has placed a value on our natural wetlands and grasslands … and recognized the benefits these areas provide,” Francis said.

Historically, the Prairies have lost wetland and grassland habitats. The conservation efforts to protect and restore these habitats help to prevent climate change by restoring carbon from the atmosphere, filtering groundwater, mitigating flooding or drought, filtering nutrients and providing habitat for wildlife.

“Private producers play a key role in this. Much of the habitat we are interested in protecting is owned by private landowners,” Francis said. “We value and appreciate their [producers] ongoing partnerships. We’ve been able to build relationships with the ag sector and other private landowners for the past 80 years to restore and protect these habitats — these are our key partnerships.”

The funding provided by the Conservation Trust serves as a great opportunity for organizations like the Nature Conservancy of Canada to apply annually for grants that support the protection or enhancement of natural habitats, said Kevin Teneycke, the organization’s regional vice-president based out of Brandon.

NCC received $340,000 in funding.

“It certainly is another great step forward,” Teneycke said.

Many of the projects at NCC are centred around enhancing biodiversity outcomes and working with agricultural producers as partners. These works have has included the implementation of different management systems in support of the industry while maximizing biodiversity outcomes.

“That funding, it’s going to help NCC kind of expand our native prairie restoration programs helping to work with those in that industry around producing native plants, native seed production as a way to help diversify the restoration economy,” Teneycke said.

Preservation of habitats remains essential — 80 per cent of wetlands and 70 per cent of native grasslands have been lost.

“When the natural environment thrives, people thrive,” Teneycke said.

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