Indigenous-led conservation area receives funding
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/02/2024 (635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A conservation area of mixed-grass prairie habitat in Westman is one of 42 Indigenous-led conservation projects across the country that has received funding from the federal government to continue its conservation efforts.
The Manitoba Mixed-Grass Prairie Securement Program, located just south of Binscarth, is run by the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC), a registered charitable organization that was established in 1986. The corporation works with Manitoba landowners to help them maintain and enhance fish and wildlife habitat.
On Jan. 31, $66 million in funding was announced by federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault to support the securement program and other Indigenous-led conservation projects. The funding will help the MHHC protect up to 27,000 hectares of undeveloped mixed-grass prairie habitat that lie adjacent to three community pastures and maintain the biodiversity of the prairie through managed grazing.
Mixed-grass prairie near Binscarth is being protected through the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation and supported by funding recently announced by the federal government. (File)
This initiative provides funding to Indigenous peoples to lead or co-lead projects that protect areas, and also recognizes other effective area-based conservation measures, many of which may lead to the creation of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, said a press release issued on behalf of the federal government.
In a press release, Guilbeault said Indigenous peoples have long been stewards of the land, and Indigenous-led projects are a testament to their unique perspectives, knowledge, rights and cultural responsibilities to teach, inspire and help improve natural balance.
“It is only by working in partnership with Indigenous peoples and recognizing their traditional roles, knowledge and science that we can slow biodiversity loss and achieve Canada’s conservation goals,” he added.
So far, 94 Indigenous communities in Canada have received a combined total of $202 million in Indigenous-Led Area-Based Conservation funding from the federal government. Its predecessor, the Target 1 Challenge, also helped the groups establish new protected areas or other measures, as well as early planning and engagement that could lead to new conservation areas.
Some of those projects are nearing completion and, according to Ottawa, will help Canada meet its goal of conserving 30 per cent of the nation’s land and water resources by 2030.
Although Indigenous lands make up 20 per cent of the land on Earth, they contain up to 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s website states.
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