Clean water starts with healthy wetlands.
Canadians are used to a safe and reliable water supply. But we can no longer take it for granted.
Run-off, pollutants and toxic blue-green algae are becoming larger threats as more and more wetlands are destroyed.
We need wetlands to regulate our water levels, too. Flooding and drought events are worsening as the wetlands that used to hold water are lost.
Wetlands loss means more water issues. But there’s hope. A continent-wide effort called Rescue Our Wetlands is using science, policy, education and on-the-ground conservation projects to fight for wetlands.
Together, we can save our water.
Taking action
Our planet will always have water, but if we don’t take care of it, it won’t always be safe.
Water is contaminated by runoff from urban centers, agriculture and other industrial activities. Nature’s balance is upset when wetlands are drained, sending water downstream, unfiltered and in excess.
- Save wetlands on the Prairies, where wetland loss has contributed to algae and water quality problems.
- Bring sustainable practices to the boreal forest, which has the largest number of intact wetlands in the world.
- Restore wetlands along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence, where as much as 95 per cent of wetlands have been destroyed.
- Protect coastal wetlands that protect the land from erosion and provide essential fish and wildlife habitat.
