Alberta's New Wetland Policy
Black spruce (Picea mariana) bog in northern Alberta. Peatlands like this are a dominant feature in Alberta's boreal region, and are a dominant component of Alberta's total wetland area.
In 1993, the Government of Alberta released the Wetland Management in the Settled Area of Alberta: An Interim Policy, which set out the government's vision regarding wetland management and its overall objectives and direction to sustain the benefits that wetlands provide (Alberta Water Resources Commission, 1993). Recognizing that wetlands are integral to watershed health in Alberta and to the achievement of all three goals of the Water for Life strategy, the Government of Alberta is preparing to release a new Wetland Policy based on the Alberta Water Council's recommendations in the near future (Alberta Water Council, 2009).
Wetlands are a dominant feature across Alberta and cover about 117,400 km2 (18%) of Alberta's landbase. Peatlands, a particular kind of wetland, account for 90% of this wetland area, covering 103,200 km2, or about 16% of the provincial landbase. The percentage of landbase covered by wetlands increases as a gradient moving from the southeast to the northwest of the province, where wetlands may cover as much as 65% of the landbase.
Properly defined, a wetland consists of land that is saturated with water long enough to promote wetland or aquatic processes as indicated by poorly drained soils, water-loving vegetation and various kinds of biological activity, which are adapted to a wet environment (National Wetlands Working Group, 1988).
Wetlands are some of the world's most important ecosystems by virtue of their diverse functions. For example, wetlands improve water quality, attenuate floods, protect shorelines, provide habitat for many plants and animals, stabilize and moderate the climate, store nutrients and carbon, provide educational and recreational opportunities and have a strong cultural heritage among the First Nations.
Wetlands have been altered since the arrival of European settlers in the 1800s. Since then, there have been significant impacts or losses of wetlands as a result of the development of the landbase for agricultural and resource exploration and extraction activities. It has been estimated that 64% of wetlands have been lost or impacted in the White Area. The scale of wetland loss or impacts in the Green Area is unknown, but has likely increased due to development.