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New wetlands policy fails
News Articles | Edmonton Journal | Joe Obad | November 10, 2010
Read the full article on the originating site
When governments ask for public and stakeholder input, rarely do they receive feedback as clear as the Alberta government did for its new wetlands policy.
In direct feedback both from Albertans and from stakeholders from all sectors at the Alberta Water Council, the government heard overwhelming support for a “no net loss” approach to wetlands.
Unfortunately, the government recently decided on a new direction that may exacerbate the loss of wetlands across the province.
It’s important to remember what is at stake in the rush to ditch a policy that has assured Albertans of our remaining wetlands. Wetlands provide a variety of valuable ecological services: filtering water, buffering against floods and drought, recharging groundwater, storing carbon and providing habitat for wildlife. The existing 1993 interim wetland policy has a “no net loss” policy for private lands.
By the government’s own admission, we have lost 64 per cent of the slough/marsh wetlands in this region already. The proposed policy would weaken this protection by removing “no net loss,” which requires replacement of destroyed wetlands. The government seems unwilling to extend to Crown land a policy that works effectively on private lands. Instead, the solution appears to be to weaken wetland policy across Alberta.
Overwhelming support for “no net loss” is not an exaggeration. In workbooks submitted by Albertans in 2007 to guide the wetland policy, support for the concept was striking. From the 590 stakeholders, 145 of whom were from industry, 90 per cent of respondents agreed that “the policy goal should be to maintain or increase wetland area. However, there were concerns expressed regarding the feasibility and desirability of increasing wetland area.”
The Alberta Water Council, the province’s advisory body on water policy, subsequently recommended a provincewide “no net loss” policy, supported by 23 of 25 members.
Unfortunately, the Alberta Chamber of Resources and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the two holdouts at the water council table, have been working to derail “no net loss.” On Oct. 29, Environment Minister Rob Renner announced a policy intent that does not include “no net loss.” Asked if there was any economic cost placed on the implementation of “no net loss” by the objecting industries, Alberta Environment officials said no cost estimates were offered or asked for.
“No net loss” is not a perfect concept, but it allows for a flexible application of conservation on wetlands as development proceeds. Fundamentally, under “no net loss,” if a development destroys wetlands, new wetlands of an equal or greater area must be created to replace these in another location.
The government says the new direction is based on function, not conserved area. Now, if you’re asking how much wetland will be conserved under the proposed policy, the government cannot say, and that’s a problem. The whole reason for a new wetlands policy is to conserve and, one hopes, increase our wetlands. The proposed policy tips its hat to key pillars of avoidance and mitigation, but there is no backstop stating a clear limit on acceptable wetlands loss.
The policy proposes to grade wetlands from irreplaceable to expendable, opening the door to countless battles over each affected wetland and where it sits on the scale.
Given the development dreams of organizations like the Alberta Chamber of Resources and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, we may lose a whole lot more with this policy direction.
Renner has asked for input and good faith to help define the policy’s implementation. This is asking a lot, considering the same foot-draggers at the water council table will be working to render the policy toothless, while the government has shown little backbone in resisting their efforts. Albertans should be asking for better.
“No net loss” is the better option. It provides certainty around the maintenance of a critical resource, while giving clarity to project proponents. A stronger wetland policy is long overdue. The loss of wetlands in southern and central Alberta will only be compounded without a stronger policy as we urbanize and develop the oilsands. In the oilsands region, wetlands overlie much of the resource. Without a clear “no net loss” policy, Albertans could be on the hook for the impacts created by oilsands extraction.
As Alberta struggles with its oilsands reputation, we need action to show ourselves and the world that we are serious about environmental protection.
Albertans value results over bureaucracy, but the government’s proposed direction leans heavily on process without clear outcomes for us or our international critics. Fortunately, a strong “no net loss” policy remains an option we can be proud of that assures wetlands protection. The government should follow through on the strong support for this option by ensuring it is the central pillar of a new wetlands policy for all Albertans, not industry holdouts.
Joe Obad is associate director of Water Matters, a Canmore-based group focused on Alberta water policy research and education.
