=20
Agriculture and biodiversity can co-exist in =
harmony.=20
Just ask Heather Wiebe, who is constantly
amazed by =
the=20
connections she sees between natural ecosystems and=20
agricultural management
in her work as a =
biodiversity=20
extension specialist in the Range and Biodiversity =
Unit in=20
Regina.
Or ask Biodiversity Analyst Erl Svendsen of =
Saskatoon,=20
who is well aware of the challenge of
conducting =
research=20
and protecting species at risk (SAR) that exist on =
Agriculture=20
and Agri-Food
Canada (AAFC) research sites.
"It is a huge responsibility we have", Wiebe =
says. "How=20
can agriculture be profitable yet leave the
land =
resilient=20
and accessible to wildlife?"
It's a question the Community Pasture Program =
(CPP),=20
created in the 1930s to reclaim badly
degraded =
Prairie=20
lands, aims to answer. This AAFC-led program manages =
929,000=20
hectares of
land, comprising 85 vast community =
pastures in=20
Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. It is one =
of
several=20
AAFC programs dedicated to ensuring biodiversity is =
protected=20
and enhanced through
effective management=20
practices.
CPP encompasses - and here's where the harmonious =
co-existence part comes in - the grazing
of 210,000 =
cows,=20
calves, bulls and horses on lands containing fragile =
grassland=20
ecosystems and
many SAR. The grazing of cattle is=20
symbiotically tied to the survival of many SAR. For=20
example,
the Burrowing Owl chooses habitat that is =
grazed=20
low enough to spot predators and depends on
the =
dung of=20
large herbivores such as cattle to line its =
nest.
Tools developed by AAFC for the CPP include a =
calendar=20
that lists the periods of the year when
SAR are =
most=20
sensitive to disturbance, factsheets on various =
species,=20
interactive maps, and
recommendations for setbacks =
for=20
infrastructure. The unit (part of Agri-Environment=20
Services
Branch) also works with provincial =
conservation=20
data centres and other specialists to ensure =
they
are using=20
the best information available.
![3D"Burrowing](3D"http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs038/1102339964548/img/135.jpg"=20)
SAR can also influence the =
research that=20
the department conducts in a very real and direct way. =
To=20
date, 33 SAR have been documented on seven AAFC =
research=20
properties in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and =
Quebec.=20
These discoveries have generated a need for greater=20
awareness
among staff working on these sites, and =
have=20
implications for research, habitat management and =
maintenance=20
on a larger level, says Svendsen.
These AAFC research sites are part of a larger =
landscape=20
and it is the wild and uncultivated areas of the sites =
that=20
contain sometime quite rare SAR. For example, a =
research site=20
in Alberta is the only place in Canada containing=20
self-sustaining populations of four SAR which are=20
interdependent with one another for either parasitical =
or=20
reproductive purposes.
"We look to the species' experts, national SAR =
recovery=20
strategies and status reports for information about =
threats to=20
a federally protected species in agricultural =
landscapes.=20
These are reviewed in the context of how operations on =
the=20
research properties may need to be adjusted to =
accommodate SAR=20
as well as how the agriculture sector as a whole may =
be=20
impacted," Svendsen notes. "We provide advice and =
information=20
so those with the authority to make decisions have the =
right=20
information."
A four-step evaluation process has been =
implemented on=20
AAFC research farms to provide landuse
decision =
makers with=20
the information they need to protect SAR. These steps =
include=20
screening for wildlife habitat, developing habitat =
maps with=20
multiple Geographic Information System (GIS) layers, =
ground=20
surveying, and management planning.
Yet another part of extension work is tied more =
closely=20
to research that will help the producer
improve his =
profitability while preserving biodiversity.
For example, Ecologist Mark Wonneck of Calgary is =
looking=20
at ways that biodiversity can provide
benefits to=20
production systems. He is conducting research into the =
value=20
of wild pollinators in
canola production systems in =
central=20
Alberta that builds on prior studies that suggest that =
providing habitat for bees (i.e. flowering plants and =
nesting=20
sites and materials) can boost pollination services to =
both=20
crops and yields. Mark is also involved in research=20
investigating the
role of wild pollinators in =
native=20
grassland systems in the foothills of the Rockies. In =
the=20
future, he
hopes to investigate the role of =
biodiversity in=20
pest and disease control, as well as soil fertility, =
to
see=20
if there are ways that producers can take even better=20
advantage of the effect pollinators can
have on the =
ecosystem.
So far, he has shared his findings with producers =
in=20
Alberta, British Columbia and the=20
Atlantic
provinces.
"There is still a great deal we don't know about =
the role=20
biodiversity plays in ecosystems, Wonneck says. "As we =
understand more, I think we'll be in a much better =
position to=20
help producers simultaneously reduce their =
environmental=20
impact and improve their bottom line."
This article has been reprinted from the =
June, 2010=20
issue of Agriculture and Agri-Food =
Canada's=20
Agribites.
![3D"Saskatchewan](3D"http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs038/1102339964548/img/142.jpg"=20)
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