The County of Vermillion River and City of Calgary release final report, “An Evaluation of Municipal- Provincial Wetland Management Partnerships in Alberta”.
The County of Vermillion River, in partnership with the City of Calgary, released a summary of the two municipalities’ experiences as provincial wetland restoration agents. The County of Vermillion River recently concluded a five-year pilot project with the Government of Alberta to test the efficacy of a rural municipality collecting wetland compensation payments and applying the payments to restoration projects within their jurisdiction.
The report provides discussion on the constraints and opportunities for future municipal involvement in wetland conservation and restoration to enhance partnerships between the Province of Alberta and municipalities.
Key findings from the report:
Strengths
- municipalities have intimate knowledge about their land base
- uniquely positioned to leverage partnerships with a wide range of organizations to identify priority management areas and deliver environmental programs, both locally and on a larger watershed scale
Constraints
- lack of clarity around goals, objectives, and expectations for restoration
- lack of communication and trust between municipalities and the provincial government
There may be new opportunities for municipalities to become involved in wetland restoration through the Wetland Policy Program. RMA will continue to update members on opportunities to be involved.
To view the full report, click here.
For enquiries, please contact:
Alex Mochid
Policy Analyst
alex@RMAlberta.com
Tasha Blumenthal
Director of External Relations & Advocacy
tasha@RMAlberta.com