Eastern Habitat Joint Venture
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture is a partnership established on 15 November 1989 between governments, organizations, and conservation groups in eastern Canada
to protect and enhance wetland
s important to migratory birds
, under the auspices of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
.
The founding partners were the six easternmost provinces (Ontario
, Quebec
, Newfoundland and Labrador
, Nova Scotia
, New Brunswick
and Prince Edward Island
), the Canadian Wildlife Service
, Ducks Unlimited Canada
, and Wildlife Habitat Canada. As a signatory, each province was expected to develop and implement its own program.
.
, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada
and Wildlife Habitat Canada.
, in which landowners of marsh
es with an area up to 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) may apply for restoration of those wetlands. Approximately twenty sites are restored annually, prioritized "according to their biological value". The cost is borne by the program and its sponsors, and the landowners must sign an "agreement to maintain the restored wetland for a 25-year period".
Prince Edward Island also operates a Wetland Stewardship Program within the scope of the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. From 1991 to 2003, it protected 60 km² of upland
and wetland habitat in the province, in which soil erosion
is the most significant environmental issue.
, the Fondation de la faune du Québec, the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs, the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, and the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada.
In Quebec, nearly half of all program funding from this project is devoted to the biosphere reserve
of Lac Saint-Pierre
and its environs, encompassing 35 km² of nationally significant wetlands. The activities of the Quebec partnership focus primarily on " the protection of habitats and the restoration of wetlands along the St. Lawrence
and Ottawa
rivers".
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to protect and enhance wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s important to migratory birds
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, under the auspices of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan
North American Waterfowl Management Plan
The North American Waterfowl Management Plan is an international plan to conserve waterfowl and migratory birds in North America. It was established in 1986 by Canada and the United States, and expanded to include Mexico in 1994....
.
The founding partners were the six easternmost provinces (Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
), the Canadian Wildlife Service
Canadian Wildlife Service
The Canadian Wildlife Service or CWS is a branch of the Department of the Environment, also known as Environment Canada, a department of the Government of Canada....
, Ducks Unlimited Canada
Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. It currently has approximately 780,000 members, mostly in the United States and Canada.-Introduction:Ducks Unlimited was...
, and Wildlife Habitat Canada. As a signatory, each province was expected to develop and implement its own program.
Objectives
The initial goals of the plan at founding were to conserve approximately 18,000 km² of wetlands in the eastern provinces by 2004. These wetlands are important to waterfowl and other migratory birds that use the Atlantic FlywayAtlantic Flyway
The Atlantic Flyway is a bird migration route that generally follows the Atlantic Coast of North America and the Appalachian Mountains. The main endpoints of the flyway include the Canadian Maritimes and the region surrounding the Gulf of Mexico; the migration route tends to narrow considerably in...
.
Ontario
In Ontario, the program is administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Ministry of Natural ResourcesMinistry of Natural Resources (Ontario)
The Ministry of Natural Resources is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that responsible for Ontario’s provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands and waters that make up 87 per cent of the province...
, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Nature Conservancy of Canada is a Canadian private not-for-profit charitable environmental organisation established in 1962. The NCC works to achieve the direct protection of what they deem as Canada's most important natural treasures through property securement and long-term stewardship of...
and Wildlife Habitat Canada.
Prince Edward Island
Small-scale programs include the Small Marsh Program initiated by the government of Prince Edward IslandGovernment of Prince Edward Island
The Government of Prince Edward Island refers to the provincial government of the province of Prince Edward Island. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
, in which landowners of marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es with an area up to 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) may apply for restoration of those wetlands. Approximately twenty sites are restored annually, prioritized "according to their biological value". The cost is borne by the program and its sponsors, and the landowners must sign an "agreement to maintain the restored wetland for a 25-year period".
Prince Edward Island also operates a Wetland Stewardship Program within the scope of the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. From 1991 to 2003, it protected 60 km² of upland
Upland and lowland (freshwater ecology)
In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland and lowland.-Definitions:Upland habitats are cold, clear, rocky, fast flowing rivers in mountainous areas; lowland habitats are warm, slow flowing rivers found in relatively flat lowland areas, with water that is...
and wetland habitat in the province, in which soil erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
is the most significant environmental issue.
Quebec
The Quebec component of the program involves a partnership between Ducks Unlimited Canada, Nature Conservancy of CanadaNature Conservancy of Canada
Nature Conservancy of Canada is a Canadian private not-for-profit charitable environmental organisation established in 1962. The NCC works to achieve the direct protection of what they deem as Canada's most important natural treasures through property securement and long-term stewardship of...
, the Fondation de la faune du Québec, the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs, the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, and the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada.
In Quebec, nearly half of all program funding from this project is devoted to the biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
of Lac Saint-Pierre
Lac Saint-Pierre
Lac Saint-Pierre is a lake in Quebec, Canada, located on the Saint Lawrence River between Sorel-Tracy and Trois-Rivières, downstream and east of Montreal. Including its shoreline, islands, and wetlands, the lake is a nature reserve...
and its environs, encompassing 35 km² of nationally significant wetlands. The activities of the Quebec partnership focus primarily on " the protection of habitats and the restoration of wetlands along the St. Lawrence
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
and Ottawa
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
rivers".