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Agriculture & Wildlife

cwf-fcf.org > English > What We Do > Agriculture & Habitat
  • Explore our Work
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Background

Agricultural land covers 6.8 per cent of the surface area of Canada. In addition to producing crops, Canadian farms also support wildlife habitat, such as forests, hedgerows, wetlands and streams. There are more than 20 million hectares of pasture alone in the agricultural landscape of Canada, which is important habitat to thousands of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, plants and insects. Natural habitats on farmland not only support wildlife but also provide important ecosystem services, such as pollination, natural pest control, and drought and flood mitigation.

Over the last several decades, agricultural intensification has diminished biodiversity on farmland because it converts land to more concentrated use, which supports far fewer species. Intensification also increases risk of agricultural pollutants flowing into watersheds, which impacts fish and aquatic invertebrates.

We do not believe that conservation of wildlife should happen on the back of farmers. We need better policies that ensure incentives to farmers for maintaining wildlife habitat. Also, we must improve how we share our knowledge about farming practices in order to reduce these risks.

barn on farm

Videos

In the News

  • A Case for Pollinators in Canada

    May 1, 2018, CWF Blog – Pollinators — such as bees, butterflies and many others species — face real and serious problems including habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. Insect pollinators are declining around the world. . Without pollinators, our food...

    Read More News



    A Case for Pollinators in Canada

    May 1, 2018, CWF Blog – Pollinators — such as bees, butterflies and many others species — face real and serious problems including habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. Insect pollinators are declining around the world. . Without pollinators, our food...

    More In the News

Program Overview

This program enables us to take a leadership role in the conservation community on issues of biodiversity conservation in Canadian agricultural policies as well as to develop scientific knowledge of the habitat needs of wildlife on farmland. We aim to engage farming communities, agricultural industry stakeholders, and food consumers in conversations about biodiversity conservation. The outcomes of this program will support farmers in maintaining biodiversity on farmland.

Achievements to Date

We’ve already achieved so much.

  • We’ve completed a policy analysis on biodiversity conservation measures in Canadian agricultural policies and provided recommendations for various provincial government departments.
  • In collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Carleton University and University of Guelph, we have launched a scientific research project on insect pollinator habitat in Norfolk County, Ontario, with a goal of informing farmers about what habitats are most important for supporting wild pollinators.
  • We have initiated a farmland bird conservation project, which is designed to work collaboratively with farmers to support habitat for threatened species of grassland birds.
  • We continue to be a strong voice for native grassland conservation in Canada and across North America.
green farmland
 milkweed

Current Work

We’re making great strides in informing the public of the importance of conserving biodiversity on farmland and the role that government policies should play in supporting farmers who maintain or enhance biodiversity.

We’re also participating in the National Environmental Farm Plan Committee, which aims to harmonize the provincial and territorial Environmental Farm Plan programs to produce an outcomes-based, producer-driven national standard that addresses environmental sustainability on Canadian farms.

We’re active in the Green Budget Coalition’s Agricultural Working Group to encourage improved federal budgets related to environmentally sustainable farming in Canada.

We are participating in forums with agricultural producers groups and the agri-food industry to discuss ways in which agriculture in Canada can become more environmentally sustainable.

We are participating in meetings with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to discuss a pollinator conservation strategy for North America.

Conserving Grassland Birds

ABOUT: More than 60 per cent of grassland birds have experienced significant decline since the 1970s. In Quebec, about 15 species of farmland birds are now considered at risk. The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is working collaboratively with beef, lamb, and hay producers to develop best practices to support these grassland birds, many of which nest on the ground, such as Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark.

Agricultural producers using best practices on the land are key to promoting the recovery of grassland bird populations and their habitats. In addition, many pollinating insects will also benefit from this strategy, which encourages farmers to delay haying to give the grassland bird populations the best chance of survival. Other options include practicing rotational grazing, creating refuge plots in less productive pasture sections or installing a flushing bar during mowing operations to reduce bird mortality.

GOAL: To help recover declining populations of grassland birds on farms producing hay.

forest exploration trail
hay bales

HISTORY: With the support of Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Fondation de la faune du Quebec, CWF launched a pilot project in June of 2019 in the Outaouais region of Quebec. This two- year project may lay the groundwork for producers in other areas of the country to apply good conservation practices which increase biodiversity and sustainability. As part of the pilot project, each participant receives a landowner guidebook with recommendations tailored to the individual farm operation that are developed collaboratively with CWF staff and the landowner. This collaborative approach includes 20 Outaouais beef, lamb, and hay producers. We thank each producer for their partnership on this project.

FUTURE: CWF is gathering information about how voluntary and low-cost best practices could be applied to increase the quality of grassland bird habitat. Food consumers are increasingly willing to buy meat products that come from producers who respect the protection of the environment. Cattle producers adopting these best practices may see greater market opportunities while conserving wildlife habitat. While there are many challenges and opportunities in this niche market, pasturelands and hayfields are home to millions of grassland birds that nest only in these environments. For hundreds of years, farmers have provided grassland birds with important habitat and these birds have provided the service of consuming crop pests. This is a partnership we would like to see continue in perpetuity. Market forces have been going against beef producers in particular. Without viable markets, many of them may switch to producing annual crops. This scenario would cause a drastic reduction in grassland bird populations. CWF is working to ensure sustainability for producers and for grassland birds.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal department of Environment and Climate Change.

hay bales

HISTORY: With the support of Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Fondation de la faune du Quebec, CWF launched a pilot project in June of 2019 in the Outaouais region of Quebec. This two- year project may lay the groundwork for producers in other areas of the country to apply good conservation practices which increase biodiversity and sustainability. As part of the pilot project, each participant receives a landowner guidebook with recommendations tailored to the individual farm operation that are developed collaboratively with CWF staff and the landowner. This collaborative approach includes 20 Outaouais beef, lamb, and hay producers. We thank each producer for their partnership on this project.

FUTURE: CWF is gathering information about how voluntary and low-cost best practices could be applied to increase the quality of grassland bird habitat. The information we receive may help develop a standard for a bird-friendly beef label or contribute a unique component to an already existing label. Food consumers are increasingly willing to buy meat products that come from producers who respect the protection of the environment. Cattle producers adopting these best practices may see greater market opportunities while conserving wildlife habitat. While there are many challenges and opportunities in this niche market, pasturelands and hayfields are home to millions of grassland birds that nest only in these environments. For hundreds of years, farmers have provided grassland birds with important habitat and these birds have provided the service of consuming crop pests. This is a partnership we would like to see continue in perpetuity. Market forces have been going against beef producers in particular. Without viable markets, many of them may switch to producing annual crops. This scenario would cause a drastic reduction in grassland bird populations. CWF is working to ensure sustainability for producers and for grassland birds.

Did You Know?

flower icon
75 to 95%

Earth's flowering plants rely on pollination by bees and other pollinating insects.
farm icon
6.8%

The surface area of Canada is covered by farmland and hosts 313 species of birds, or 69% of all breeding bird species.
agriculture icon
90%

Species at risk in Canada occur on the agricultural landscape.

Some Species Found on Canada's Agricultural Lands

Bobolink

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

COSEWIC status: Threatened

Today in eastern Canada, we find the Bobolink mainly in vast hayfields and pastures. The Bobolink is very faithful to its nesting site, meaning that it comes back to nest in the same prairie every spring. The female builds a nest on the ground, in areas usually dominated by tall grasses. She lays one clutch of three to seven eggs per year, within a fairly restricted time period starting in mid-May until mid-July. Both parents feed the young for about eleven days, and keep feeding them for at least a week after they have fledged.

Pasturelands and hayfields are home to millions of grassland birds that nest only in these environments. For hundreds of years, farmers have provided grassland birds with important habitat and these birds have provided the service of consuming crop pests. This is a partnership we would like to see continue in perpetuity.

Nest of Bobolink
Chorus frog

Western Chorus Frog

Pseudacris triseriata

COSEWIC status: Threatened

The Western Chorus Frog is found in southern Ontario and Quebec. It has declined dramatically in western Quebec and eastern Ontario and is now a species at risk in Canada. The Western Chorus Frog breeds in shallow ponds or flooded fields that usually dry up by mid-summer.

The frogs lay their eggs in these wetlands, the eggs hatch quickly and then the tadpoles must develop and transform in a race against time before the pond dries up. Why do they lay their eggs in such a precarious place? Temporary ponds are fish-free because they dry up each year. Fish can eat a lot of frog eggs, so laying eggs where there aren’t predators is a real benefit – if the pond persists until the tadpoles transform.

Western Chorus Frogs remain widespread in western Ottawa but quite rare east of Ottawa in eastern Ontario. The first step in trying to protect the remaining populations east of Ottawa is knowing where they occur. It is easiest to survey for them by listening. The only catch is that Chorus Frogs call for only a few weeks each year in early spring, so there is a narrow window when surveys can occur.

Learn more

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Papilio polyxenes

COSEWIC status: Not Listed

The upper sides of its wings are black, with rows of yellow spots along the edges of its hindwings and forewings. Two distinct swallowtails extend from its hindwings. It also has a blue band of spots and reddish-orange eyespots on its hindwings.

HABITAT: Open areas, including fields, parks and meadows.

RANGE: Ontario and Quebec.

Black Swallowtail Butterfly
carolyn

Program Lead

Carolyn Callaghan, PhD

CWF Senior Conservation Biologist, Terrestrial Wildlife

Carolyn Callaghan is a member of the National Environmental Farm Plan Committee, designed to develop and propose a National Environmental Farm Plan for Canada (currently each province has its own Environmental farm Plan and there is no consistent approach).

“Canadian farmers have an important role to play in conserving our wildlife. CWF’s approach is to work collaboratively with farmers and the agricultural industry to ensure that the ecological services offered by habitats and wildlife will continue to benefit both farmers and all Canadians into the future.”

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Additional Resources

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Blogs

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Lesson Plans

Blogs

How Government Can Invest in a Green Recovery

As Canada works to rebuild in the face of COVID-19, nature remains one of our greatest assets for creating a more resilient and sustainable future. This week, the Green Budget… Read

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Ban With a Plan: Join us to #BanNeonics

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CWF Urges Immediate Action for Species at Risk on Prairie Grasslands

The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is urging the government of Canada to protect prairie grasslands by conserving the last remaining PFRA community pastures as habitat for species at risk.

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Help the Burrowing Owl Recover

Once common on the Prairie grasslands, the burrowing owl is now listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

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A Case for Pollinators in Canada

Pollinators — such as bees, butterflies and many others species — face real and serious problems including habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. Insect pollinators are declining around the world. ....

Read More

What is a prairie?

If asked this question, many Canadians might imagine wheat and canola fields extending as far as the eye can see.

Read More

Results of the Saskatchewan Community Pasture Survey

The Government of Saskatchewan recently announced its intention to end the Saskatchewan Pastures Program and consult on the future management of the 50 pastures totalling 780,000 acres of public grasslands that...

Read More
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