Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
for the cessation of all development, but it made
the strong case for remedial and restoration
activities at another site to mitigate the altera-
tion of wetlands.
Beyond these rather crucial legislative and
policy guidelines, there have also been Presi-
dential executive orders and other state-level
regulations that have sought to guide wetland
development activities. Counties and townships
have also introduced zoning ordinances to regu-
late activities in wetland sites (U.S. Environmen-
tal Protection Agency 2010). These and other
measures have undoubtedly inl uenced wetland
conservation and, as reported in recent studies,
helped reduce the rate of wetland habitat loss
across the United States (Dahl 2000).
In summary, U.S. federal policy on wetlands is
carried out under regulations related to land use
and water quality rather than an overall national
wetland law. Wetland protection is promoted
through a multi-pronged approach including
regulation, permitting, providing incentives and
disincentives, and through acquisition by estab-
lishing parks and refuges.
non-regulatory policy which relies primarily on
the collective participation and cooperation of
federal, provincial, and territorial governments
to undertake wetland conservation practices
(Government of Canada 1991; Rubec 1994). It is
difi cult to gauge the long-term success of this
policy given its recent adoption, but the Cana-
dian government has reported successes through
the implementation of mitigation strategies.
Luck Lake in the prairie pothole region of
south-central Saskatchewan is a good example
of this cooperative approach. Luck Lake is a
Saskatchewan Heritage Marsh that includes
6170 acres (
2470 ha) of wetland and 650 acres
(260 ha) of adjacent upland (Fig. 14-5). The lake
is the terminal point of a small enclosed drain-
age basin. Water-control structures were built in
1988 by Ducks Unlimited Canada, which con-
tinues to manage the lake. Partners in this
venture are the Province of Saskatchewan, Sas-
katchewan Wildlife Federation, Saskatchewan
Natural History Society, and Wildlife Habitat
Canada. In addition to these partners, the Birsay
Water Users Association, Saskatchewan Water
Corporation, Rural Municipality of Coteau, local
landowners, and federal government were
instrumental in organizing the project. Water for
Luck Lake comes from nearby Lake Diefenbaker,
a huge reservoir on the South Saskatchewan
River, via high-pressure pipelines that supply
irrigation to local farmers (Fig. 14-6).
Canada's wetland policy has been ground-
breaking, as 25 other nations have now imple-
mented similar non-regulatory policy measures.
Given that Canada contains nearly one-quarter
of total global wetland habitats and is a leading
player in the Ramsar Convention with over 30
designated wetland sites, the results of this
approach will be keenly studied (Rubec 1994).
Furthermore, in the coming decades data will be
provided to enable comparative analysis of the
pros and cons of regulatory and non-regulatory
mechanisms in wetland policy making.
∼
14.3.2 Canada
Canada's foray into wetland policy making is
another noteworthy example from the devel-
oped world. Canada is distinguished as being
i rst in the world to outline a federal wetland
conservation policy. This policy follows the
recommendations of the Ramsar Convention
on wise use and sustainable management. The
Canadian government's 1992 Federal Policy on
Wetland Conservation (FPWC) aims to achieve
cooperation with the governments of its prov-
inces, territories and private entities to maintain,
enhance, rehabilitate, and secure wetlands of
signii cance. It accomplishes these goals by
promoting public awareness, developing exem-
plary wetland conservation practices, stimulat-
ing decision making based on scientii c and
technical factors, and enhancing cooperation
between citizens, non-governmental organiza-
tions and governmental entities (Government of
Canada 1991).
Canada's approach differs signii cantly from
that of the U.S. in that it has adopted a largely
14.3.3 Western Europe
Rather than outline wetland-specii c legislation,
most European nations have opted to incorpo-
rate wetland protection within existing laws on
