10 CATTLE COUNTRY August 2022
Beef Production Supports the Preservation of Prairie Wetlands BY PETER FROHLICH, NATIONAL CENTRE FOR LIVESTOCK AND THE ENVIRONMENT (NCLE), UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA Typical descriptions of wetlands portray these ecosystems as abundant sources of fresh water, rich vegetation, habitats for migrating waterfowl and other wildlife. Throughout Canada, these ecosystems can be found on the prairies, in the boreal forest, along coastlines and even in the tundra. According to Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) our wetlands are truly diverse. They can appear as marshes, bogs, fens, swamps and open water. However, there is much more to these ecosystems then meets the eye. From the environmental and the sustainability perspectives, Canada’s wetlands play an important role in carbon cycling and climate regulation, water quantity and quality regulation, and are hotspots for biodiversity. Essentially prairie wetlands provide an abundance of ecosystem services, the benefits humans derive from various natural environments. Furthermore, Canada’s wetlands are an important part of the cattle ranching landscape. These ecosystems can serve as a valuable source of water and forage and can provide refuge to cattle on hot days. Agriculture, Urban Expansion and Conservation During past decades, drainage due to agricultural and urban expansion and the historical extraction of resources have not been kind to these diverse ecosystems. According to DUC, the existence of wetlands has slowly declined and in settled areas of Canada, up to 70 per cent of our wetlands have already been destroyed or degraded. For more than 80 years, conservation groups like DUC have been effectively moving wetland preservation activities forward. DUC has been achieving results that have significantly helped to protect these disappearing ecosystems. However, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to slow and stop the disappearance of prairie wetlands. In the spring of 2020 DUC partnered with researchers from the National Centre for Livestock and the Environment at the University of Manitoba, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to create a multidisciplinary team whose goal is to investigate ecosystem services derived from wetlands and to further explore the benefits of wetlands embedded in grasslands that serve as cattle grazing environments. With funding from the Beef Cattle Research Council, the governments of Canada and Manitoba through the Ag Action Manitoba
program, and the Alberta North American Waterfowl Management Plan Partnership this project will quantify ecosystem-level carbon sequestration and investigate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and microclimate regulation while exploring nutrient retention, water storage and biodiversity on prairie wetlands. Scope of the Prairie Ecosystems Services Project Data collection is centered on wetlands located within grasslands, as well as croplands. The ecosystems under investigation are associated with three watersheds located throughout the prairies, including two grassland and two annual cropland sites in the Prairie Pothole Region of southwestern Manitoba. The data will also be collected in conjunction with information collected from sites from an extensive survey of GHG emissions from wetlands embedded in grasslands and cropland from three prairie watersheds across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In addition to assessing numerous ecosystem services, the research explores the impact of converting grassland to annual cropland and the resulting effects on biodiversity using waterfowl as a model. The study is also measuring the proportion of prairie wetland habitats that exist within beef production landscapes and provides an estimate of ecosystem services associated with these habitats using the DUC waterfowl productivity model. Using unique strategies to measure greenhouse gas emissions The study employs the use of Eddy Covariance Systems or flux towers to capture GHG exchange at the wetland scale. Traditionally, flux towers are used to study GHG emissions associated with ecosystems such as forests, peatlands and coastal salt marshes but have rarely been used to study small freshwater wetland ecosystems that are present in the Canadian prairie region. The main benefit of this technique is that GHG measurements capture a larger footprint incorporating the various ecotones of a wetland (open-water, emergent vegetation, wet meadow, etc.) allowing for better quantification of GHG exchange and carbon sequestration across the entire wetland. What have we learned so far? According to Pascal Badiou, a research scientist with DUC and project lead, data collected thus far shows
(Photo credit: Ducks Unlimited Canada)
that the type of vegetation and the amount of open water has a significant impact on the GHG emissions associated with a wetland. Sulphate and phosphorous affect methane production. Increased sulphate and decreased phosphorous levels in an environment promote lower methane emissions. Results from the study show that wetlands embedded in cropland have higher phosphorous and lower sulphate concentrations, resulting in higher methane emissions. Conversely wetlands that include perennial cover such as grasslands have higher sulphate but lower phosphorous concentrations resulting in overall lower methane emissions. Furthermore, Badiou says that it may be beneficial for farmers to maintain perennial cover around wetlands imbedded within crop land as this vegetations is a buffer between crops, improving water quality by removing phosphorous and reducing GHG emissions. As the project continues, researchers will continue to quantify differences in water quality and water quantity of wetlands embedded in grassland relative to cropland. The research will also examine biodiversity impacts of converting grassland to annual cropland and quantify wetland habitat that exists within beef production landscapes based on ecosystem services provided. The project is scheduled to conclude in the spring of 2024. Findings from the project will improve the understanding of the ecosystem services associated with prairie wetlands embedded in prairie beef production landscapes. Using natural climate solutions such as the preservation of grasslands and wetlands by beef producers represents a major environmental service associated with the beef industry. Accounting for these ecosystem services is key to developing effective communications to increase public knowledge, assist in policy implementation and to enhance the public confidence in the beef industry. For more information on the study please contact Ducks Unlimited Canada at media@ducks.ca .
Applications for Consideration for The Environmental Stewardship Award Due to MBP by December 9
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www.mbbeef.ca
Photo credit: Jenna Loveridge
Photo credit: Jenna Loveridge
Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) is accepting applications until Friday, December 9, 2022 for consideration for the local awarding of The Environmental Stewardship Award (TESA). Since 1996, TESA has recognized producers who go above and beyond standard industry conserCommittment to the land, water, air, and wildlife is a vation practices and set positive examples for other cattle producers and the general public. As stewards of a vast portion of the Canadian landscape, Canada’s beef cattle producers play a significant role in prerequisite to raising healthy cattle. Sustainability is not a buzzword... it's a way of life. protecting and enhancing the environment. They continuously strive to improve existing stewardship conservation practices to create a sustainable future – always farming for tomorrow. At the local level, a producer receives provincial recognition for their outstanding environmental contributions. In the case of Manitoba, this occurs in conjunction with MBP’s annual general meeting in February. All provincial award recipients then move forward to compete for national recognition from Committment to the land, water, air, and wildlife is a the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). The national TESA recipient is announced during the prerequisite to raising healthy cattle. Sustainability is not CCA’s semi-annual meeting at the Canadian Beef Industry Conference. a buzzword... it's a way of life. Each nominee exemplifies significant innovation and attention to a wide range of environmental stewardship aspects in their farm operation. Such innovations extend beneficially to areas far beyond their land, including water, wildlife and air. How to Nominate All beef cattle operations in Canada are eligible to apply for TESA. Beef producers interested in TESA can apply by filling out the application form found on the MBP website ‒ www.mbbeef.ca. Producers can either nominate themselves, or be nominated by another individual or an organization. All methods are equally encouraged. The completed application form, along with all supporting documentation (such as letters of support, photos and/or videos), is to be submitted to Manitoba Beef Producers by email to info@mbbeef.ca no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 9, 2022. If you have questions, please contact the MBP office TESA NOMINATION & APPLICATION PACKAGE at 204-772-4542.
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