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Manitoba Government Introduces North America's First Ecosystem Protection Legislation

Manitoba today will be the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce legislation that would protect essential habitats for endangered plants and wildlife, Conservation and Water Stewardship Minister Gord Mackintosh said, marking Earth Day 2013.

“The destruction or loss of habitat leads to plants and wildlife becoming threatened or endangered,” said Mackintosh.  “This new legislation will allow us to better protect an ecosystem at risk, rather than only identifying the threatened or endangered species found in it.”

The province will introduce legislative amendments that would create the endangered species and ecosystem act.  The proposed act would be the first legislation in North America to allow the listing of ecosystems as endangered or threatened and protect them on provincial Crown land.

The proposed amendments would also:

• create a new designation called ‘special concern’ for species at risk of becoming threatened in Manitoba and requiring plans to prevent these species from further loss,
• expand the role of the Endangered Species Advisory Committee to provide recommendations on endangered or threatened ecosystems,
• add protection orders that empower conservation officials to pre-emptively stop activities that would endanger habitat and ecosystems, and
• increase fines and penalties for violations under the legislation.

The minister noted Manitoba follows the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s standard criteria for assessing the status of species at risk in Manitoba.

“The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) strongly supports the Government of Manitoba in its plans to introduce legislation providing for the listing of endangered and threatened ecosystems,” said George Greene, regional councillor for North America and the Caribbean, IUCN.  “We are pleased to know that Manitoba’s actions are inspired by IUCN’s work on the Red List of Ecosystems to establish a global standard to assess the status of ecosystems at the local, provincial, national, regional and global levels.” 

The minister noted grazing is an important management practice to maintain healthy grassland ecosystems and populations of species at risk such as buffalo grass and burrowing owls, and would not be affected by the new legislation.

In addition, the province is providing $500,000 in new funding to support the work of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.  This contribution brings the province to $5 million of its commitment to provide $7 million for the Natural Areas Conservation Program to acquire and preserve ecologically significant lands in eight areas in southern Manitoba over 10 years.  The province’s contribution is being matched by both the federal government and the private sector meaning Manitoba habitats will benefit from approximately $21 million in conservation programming.

Recent priority projects include protecting several different vulnerable ecosystems including:

• Crown land at the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in southeast Manitoba, the largest intact natural
  tall-grass prairie in the province containing several endangered and threatened species; and
• approximately 9,700 acres (3,925 hectares) of alvar, a rare ecosystem with unique plants that grow in 10 centimetres or less of soil over limestone bedrock, in the Interlake.

“Manitoba’s rare and vulnerable habitats need to be protected and we remain committed to those efforts,” said Mackintosh.  “I’m pleased we are able to continue our support for these important initiatives that protect our native grasslands and other habitats of unique, rare and endangered species all over the province.”

“The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is very pleased with the province’s continued commitment towards the NCC’s work in conserving biodiversity in Manitoba,” said Jeff Polakoff, regional vice-president, Manitoba, NCC.  “We also look forward to working with the province as it develops legislation aimed at conserving endangered species and ecosystems.”

Today’s announcements were commitments in TomorrowNow – Manitoba’s Green Plan, the government's eight-year strategic plan for protecting the environment while ensuring a prosperous and environmentally conscious economy.

For more information on TomorrowNow, visit www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/tomorrownowgreenplan/.

For more information on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, visit www.iucn.org/.

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