The United Nations World Wildlife Day occurs on Thursday, March 3rd and this year’s theme is: The future of wildlife is in our hands. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) joins the UN in urging people around the world to celebrate and conserve wild plants and animals.
The United Nations states that:
“The biggest threats to wildlife are habitat loss as well as overgrazing, farming and development.”
“It is the responsibility of each generation to safeguard wildlife for the following generation.”
“We all have a role to play. Our collective conservation actions can be the difference between a species surviving or disappearing.”
In honour of World Wildlife Day, DUC invites you to help protect the whooping crane, and other wildlife, by encouraging your government to maintain and restore the whooper’s habitats - wetlands. The whooping crane, with its snowy white plumage, bugling call, and graceful courtship dance, is truly remarkable. Whoopers are the tallest birds in North America standing 1.5 metres with a two-metre plus wingspan. With fossils dating back 3.5 million years, it is also one of the oldest living birds on earth. This ancient bird became gravely endangered in the 1800’s as settlers drained marshes for crops and pastures, destroying the whooper’s homes. The population plummeted to an all-time low of just 15 birds in 1941. Through captive breeding, wetland management, and an innovative program that teaches young cranes how to migrate, numbers have risen to about 600 today. But being very large birds, whooping cranes need large places to live and every year there are fewer large marshes left for cranes to rest and feed during their 4,000 km migration.
Wetlands are some of the most important ecosystems on the planet because they:
•provide habitat for wildlife, including at risk species
•filter our air and water
•reduce the impacts of droughts and floods
•store vast amounts of greenhouse gases, helping to fight against global climate change
Unfortunately, up to 70% of wetlands have been lost in settled areas of Canada. The equivalent of about 14 CFL fields disappears daily in Saskatchewan, primarily due to agricultural drainage.
Wetland protection is one of the best investments your government can make in the environment. DUC urges you to make your voice heard in the Saskatchewan provincial election. To streamline the process we have launched the website www.voteforwetlands.ca. The site provides a letter ready to be sent to your candidates asking them what they will do to protect Saskatchewan’s remaining wetlands. A few minutes of your time could make a world of difference.
A registered charity, Ducks Unlimited Canada partners with government, industry, non-profits and landowners to conserve, restore and manage habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife.
.JPG;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
