Parks Canada red chairs with an endless view over the green prairie in the Grasslands National Park of Canada on a cloudy summer day (Photo 207280049 © | Dreamstime.com)

By Canadian Press

Nature Conservancy of Canada announces action plan to save Prairie grasslands

Jun 5, 2023 | 8:58 AM

CALGARY – The Nature Conservancy of Canada says it is working to save iconic Prairie grasslands by protecting more than 5,000 square kilometres in three provinces.

Its action plan, which is being announced on World Environment Day, aims to raise $500-million to conserve grasslands in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba by the end of 2030.

Jeremy Hogan, who is the organization’s director of prairie grassland conservation, says grasslands are Canada’s most endangered ecosystem with only 18 per cent remaining.

He says grasslands are nature’s unsung heroes.

They can absorb carbon dioxide and store billions of tons of carbon, keeping it fixed in the soil and helping to counter the effects of climate change.

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They trap and filter water to mitigate both floods and droughts, and provide drinking water for local communities.

Hogan says they are also a driver of local economies and essential to food security.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 5, 2023.

The Canadian Press