Ron Reid The Couchiching Conservancy

Ron Reid
The Couchiching Conservancy
Payment for Ecological Services
 Farmers produce more than food from their land
 Public benefits – clean air & water; wildlife; carbon capture; species at risk
 Value of these ecological services not reflected in farm income
Global Experiments
 USA: 776,000 farmers in Conservation Reserve Program
 China: Grains for Green – grain in exchange for maintaining forested slopes
 Britain: payments to protect habitats for Corn Crakes, butterflies
 Honduras: PES programs for water quality, biodiversity
 Rhode Island: Payments to delay haying for grassland birds
 Canada: ALUS in Manitoba, PEI, Norfolk County
Ontario’s Carden Plain
A Great Diversity of Birds
Cattle Country
Eastern Loggerhead Shrike
Critical Habitat Proposals
Landowner Unhappiness
Piloting Landowner Payments
 3‐year funding from Gosling Foundation
 Builds on stewardship incentives for cost‐
shared projects
 Non‐government delivery
 Anticipated landowner distrust
Based on 5 Principles
 Voluntary
 Based on annual payments
 Workable for farm community
 Sustainable through ongoing fundraising
 Able to be expanded to other areas or species
Program Elements
Program Criteria
Landowner Commitments
 Within 400 metres of an active nest
 Not disturb nest during breeding season
 Suitable habitat only
 Maintain livestock grazing
 Nest may be on neighbour’s land
 Not remove trees or shrubs without checking
 Qualifying private landowners invited to apply
 Not allow public access near nest
 Payment of $20 per acre
 Allow access to staff for monitoring nest and banding young birds
 Collaboration with Wildlife Preservation Canada
First Year Results
 13 nests on Carden Plain
 3 located on conservation lands
 4 located on quarry lands – invited to apply but no uptake
 6 on private ranchlands; 15 owners involved
 4 landowners participated
Conclusions
 Will take time to build trust – new idea
 Governments very nervous about concept
 Eventually needs to link to regulatory programs
Ron Reid
The Couchiching Conservancy