Wetlands are nature's water treatment plants. Abundant, intact wetlands remove phosphorous and provide important services that reduce the amount of other impurities that enter our streams, rivers and ultimately the Great Lakes.
Ducks Unlimited Canada recently completed a research project to evaluate the impacts of wetland loss in the Lake Simcoe Watershed. This watershed, as many of you will know, is situated in the heart of one of the most highly developed rural landscapes in Canada, one hour north of Toronto, and is roughly 744 km2 in surface area.
Our science clearly indicates that wetlands are critical to solving Lake Simcoe's water quality problems. For example, the results were very sobering for us. It provides that if all of the remaining wetlands on one small tributary, the Black River subwatershed near Sutton, were lost, the impacts would include: an 891% increase in phosphorus loading—this is equivalent to dumping 47 tonnes or 22,000 bags of lawn fertilizer into the river every year—a 13% decrease in groundwater recharge capabilities, which have direct linkages to water quality; a 251% increase in sediment loading, also impacting water quality; and a 260% increase in nitrogen loading, which will impact public use, swimming, and recreation.
The research also revealed that Black River wetlands' removal of phosphorus saves the local municipalities about $300,000 per year. Further wetland loss would significantly affect the benefits of the financial investments in local water treatment facilities in the Lake Simcoe watershed. Losing approximately 25% or 2,088 hectares of the remaining wetlands would negate the current amount of phosphorus removal services of the Sutton Water Pollution Control Plant. Losing another 52 hectares of wetland would negate the additional removal capacity of the recent $3.8 million upgrade to the Sutton plant.
Additional economic research revealed that wetlands in the Lake Simcoe basin are estimated to be worth $11,172 per hectare annually or $435 million per year.
The most valued services these wetlands provide are water regulation, water filtration, flood control, waste treatment, recreation, and wildlife habitat, followed by climate regulation.
In the end, the science clearly demonstrates that investments in green infrastructure, like wetlands, are critical to retaining and enhancing grey infrastructure investments. While the information we have presented here relates specifically to Lake Simcoe, this study can be extrapolated throughout the broader Great Lakes Basin and we would expect the same results.
As such, there is considerable reason to be deeply concerned when we consider the current wetland loss trends in Ontario.
In spite of the significant values that wetlands provide, wetland losses within the Great Lakes watershed have been and continue to be substantial. For example, in southern Ontario we've lost 72% of wetlands, corresponding to 1.4 million hectares. This corresponds to the size of three-quarters of Lake Ontario. The loss continues with an additional 70,854 hectares of wetlands lost larger than 10 hectares, between 1982 and 2002. In the Lake Erie watershed, more than 85% of wetlands have been lost. Losses of Great Lakes coastal wetlands have also been substantial and in the same order of magnitude. Losses on the U.S. side of the Great Lakes have been comparable, averaging 65%.
Take a moment to imagine scaling our Black Creek findings up to the entire Great Lakes Basin, which is approximately 245,000 square kilometres when combined. Imagine what disastrous effects will result if we continue to lose more wetlands within the Great Lakes watershed. On the other hand, we would ask you to please take a moment to imagine an alternative picture, one where we work together to ensure that existing wetlands remain intact and functional and make a strong effort to restore wetlands in areas where they have been lost or degraded.
To Ducks Unlimited Canada, this picture looks like millions of dollars saved in foregone capital expenditures on environmental relief and rehabilitation; sustainable, renewable industries that rely on the health and integrity of the Great Lakes Basin; a healthy tourism and agricultural sector; healthy populations; and extensive social and ecological co-benefits, like habitat for fish and wildlife and upcoming generations of Canadians who connect with and to nature.
So how do we do this?
We are making some grounds programmatically and in recognizing the roles that wetlands play as a viable part of the solution. For example, the recent Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement explicitly includes wetlands as a key important habitat. Long-standing partnerships like the North American Waterfowl Management Plan persist and continue to invest in habitats on the ground. In Ontario alone, this partnership has resulted in the conservation of seven million hectares with an investment of $193 million.
Environment Canada's natural areas conservation program is a federal securement tool that has been used by conservation partners like Ducks Unlimited to purchase and permanently protect critical wetland habitats, including vital Great Lakes coastal wetlands, an important inland wetland complex.
While these programs and initiatives are excellent and must continue, we insist that more needs to be done. Moving forward, Ducks Unlimited proposes that we must work together, first, to ensure that the values of wetlands and their link to water quality is clear to all Canadians. We must ensure that expanded measures exist to conserve and restore wetlands throughout the Great Lakes watershed. As we have indicated to this committee previously, wetland conservation should be a cornerstone to the Government of Canada's national conservation plan.
Second, we must ensure that long-term funding is available for wetland conservation. Ducks Unlimited Canada calls upon the Government of Canada to increase its financial support for wetland conservation through a new national wetlands conservation fund. Ducks Unlimited Canada stands poised and ready to match this funding commitment.
Third, we must work with other levels of government to ensure that planning is landscape scaled, science based, well coordinated, and that appropriate policies exist to support our wetland conservation objectives.
Fourth, we must engage with our partners on the working landscape and build programs that compel people to make choices that benefit wetlands, and in turn, water quality.