Keeping Canada a water paradise

March 22, 2016 National

On World Water Day remember that clean water starts with healthy wetlands

Canadians realize their good fortune when it comes to water. We have an extensive supply. This includes approximately seven per cent of the world’s renewable freshwater. However, simply having an abundance is not enough. It needs to be clean and safe. On World Water Day, Canadians can do their part by helping save the ecosystems that are essential to protecting water quality: wetlands.

Wetlands trap and hold sediment and pollutants before they reach our lakes, rivers and streams. They are one of the most important ecosystems in the world, absorbing toxins and nutrients at very high rates. When wetlands are drained or destroyed, nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus find their way into our water. This can cause algae blooms that can make people sick, kill fish and other aquatic life and make drinking water unsafe.

“Ducks Unlimited Canada has a long history of protecting water,” says Greg Siekaniec, CEO for the organization. “It’s a responsibility we take seriously. That cold refreshing glass of clean water you hand to your child, the memories you make along the pristine shores of your favourite lake, or the knowledge that a moose cow has access to natural habitat to raise her calf are precious gifts worth protecting. And that’s why we’ve been conserving wetlands since 1938.”

Canada’s vast network of rivers, lakes and streams were the channels that built this country. Today, they remain central to almost every part of life – from our food supply to recreation activities, to tourism, wildlife habitat and the health of the environment. Yet the growing pressures of human development are impacting these waters in serious ways. Up to 80 acres of wetlands are lost every day in Canada. The effects of this loss are equivalent to dumping more than 25 wheelbarrows of fertilizer into our lakes and streams every day.

Watch videos, read stories and learn more about wetlands and water quality at water.ducks.ca

Wetlands and water quality is a key focus of Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Rescue Our Wetlands campaign. It’s the largest conservation campaign in the history of North America, with a goal of raising $500 million for wetland conservation in Canada.

Ducks Unlimited Canada is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment.

Keeping Canada a water paradise

Contact us about this media release