Wetland Policy Implementation Plan

In addition to making recommendations to the new Wetland Policy for the Government of Alberta, the Alberta Water Council also laid out an implementation plan to guide planning, policy, and management decisions. For each outcome specified under the new Wetland Policy, the Alberta Water Council has outlined the strategies needed to meet those outcomes, and a series of actions to be undertaken in immediate, short-term, and long-term timeframes. The information here is an overview of these strategies taken from the AWC Wetland Policy Implementation Plan; for more information on specific actions to be undertaken, please refer to the original document.

OUTCOME 1: The Wetland Mitigation Decision Framework will be used where development affects wetlands to ensure the maintenance of ecological, social, and economic benefits to Albertans. The planned actions for bringing about this outcome involve first the implementation of the Wetland Mitigation Decision Framework, followed by the development of methods to determine the degree to which wetland benefits are lost or degraded, the exploration of alternative compensation schemes such as mitigation or restoration banking (where current positive activities will be credited to a proponent for the future), and finally by the development of best practices for wetland restoration, construction, and enhancement.

OUTCOME 2: Watershed and regional wetland objectives will be developed and implemented through watershed and land-use planning processes across Alberta. This outcome will be accomplished through the development of a multi-stakeholder process for setting wetland objectives, followed by the integration of these objectives into watershed and land-use planning processes, and monitoring and reporting on the implementation process.

OUTCOME 3: The Alberta Wetland Policy will be successfully integrated into the legislation, policies, planning, and programs of the Government of Alberta and its partners. The goals of the Wetland policy will be integrated into the Government of Alberta's policies, programs, intiatives, and directives, to ensure an integrated approach to wetland management across the province. The Policy, especially the Wetland Mitigation Decision Framework, will be incorporated into the Government's regulatory process to ensure compliance, and will be incorporated into local (municipalities, First Nations', and Metis Settlements) government processes to ensure integration across all levels of government with respect for regional variations in impacts, needs, and the local environment.

OUTCOME 4: Albertans will become aware of, and value, the functions and benefits that wetlands provide. To promote education and awareness of wetlands and their associated benefits, the Government of Alberta and its partners will work to develop wetland education programs to expand upon and be incorporated into educational curricula and public edcation programs. The Government will also work with its partners to increase awareness about Ephemeral Waterbodies.

OUTCOME 5: Appropriate tools including incentives will be available to promote wetland protection, conservation, and restoration, and disincentives will be removed. To accomplish this objective, the Government will inventory and promote its current programs, and develop new programs, that provide incentives for wetland protection, conservation, and restoration. It will also work to identify and eliminate any current disincentives.

OUTCOME 6: Albertans will have the information, tools, and programs to effectively protect, conserve, and restore wetlands. This objective primarily concerns the existence of scientific res. The Government will work with its partners to develop a wetland research plan, as well as a wetland classification system that can be used consistently across the entire province (rather than two systems that pertain to the Green Areas and White Areas separately). The Government will also conduct wetland inventories to assess the distribution, extent, and abundance of wetland systems in the province, and develop the tools necessary for assessing wetland health. It will also work to improve the knowledge and expertise available for the reliable restoration, construction, and enhancement of wetlands, as well as providing opportunities for professional development so that highly skilled individuals are in place to take these actions.

OUTCOME 7: The process, criteria, and tools will be developed and put in place to identify and protect Alberta wetlands that are locally, regionally, provincially, nationally, or internationally important. This final objective will serve to identify and preserve exceptional wetland areas and ensure their existence for future generations of Albertans.