Ducks Unlimited Canada surpasses conservation targets in Manitoba

June 20, 2022 Manitoba

Manitoba’s conservation leader helped fight climate change in the past year by working with landowners to protect 49 square kilometres (19 square miles) of wetlands and natural habitat, an area larger than the city of Steinbach.

“Every acre, every pond, every bit of grassland is critical in addressing climate change,” says Mark Francis, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) manager of provincial operations in Manitoba. “I want to thank staff and landowners in addition to our industry and funding partners for helping to achieve some remarkable conservation numbers.”

DUC protected over 12,000 acres in 2021-2022 from future loss through long-term landowner partnerships. In addition, DUC collaborated with Manitoba farmers to restore more than 5,600 acres of wetland and grassland habitat and provided the leadership and resources to convert over 185,000 acres of privately held lands into more diverse and sustainable ecosystems, exceeding its own targets.

photo shows Alexander-area farmer Bryden Izzard who signed a 70-acre conservation agreement in 2021 with Kylie Nielson from DUC. — Alexander-area farmer Bryden Izzard signed a 70-acre conservation agreement in 2021-2022 with Kylie Nielson from DUC.

Contributions from Manitoba’s Conservation Trust (CT) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), combined with private sector partnerships including the Weston Foundation, allowed DUC to expand both its conservation goals and the resources offered to landowners.

Last year, DUC provided $8.3 million in conservation programming to farmers and ranchers in Manitoba, an increase of $1 million from the previous year.

“Beyond helping the environment, DUC is contributing to the economy of rural Manitoba by providing financial incentives to landowners who support businesses in dozens of local communities,” says Francis.

In 2022-2023, DUC is increasing funding for forage and marginal areas programs in the province and adding a new rangeland program to help ranchers improve the health and biodiversity of pasturelands.

Quick Facts

DUC protected 12,171 acres in Manitoba last year, equal to 49 square kilometres (19 square miles). By comparison, the City of Portage la Prairie is 25 square kilometres (9.5 square miles) in area; Steinbach is 38 square kilometres (15 square miles); and the City of Brandon covers 79 square kilometres (30 square miles).
Southwest Manitoba loses an estimated nine acres of wetlands every day. That amounts to 13 square kilometres (five square miles) of lost habitat every year (source: DUC).
The average Manitoba farm is 1,177 acres, or 4.8 square kilometres (1.8 square miles) (source: Statistics Canada 2021 Census of Agriculture).
Since launching in Manitoba in 1938, DUC has conserved 711,744 acres and influenced conservation practices on more than 1.1 million acres in Manitoba.

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Ducks Unlimited Canada surpasses conservation targets in Manitoba

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