Maintaining and Enhancing Wildlife Habitat

Over 1000 species make their home on Canadian rangelands, their habitat regularly overlapping with agricultural landscapes, particularly livestock grazing operations. Existing producer management is often what has allowed the species to persist, but there are supplementary opportunities to further enhance the habitat quality for wildlife species on those lands.

Through funding from the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) Program, CRSB is partnering with members, including Alberta Beef Producers, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, MultiSAR and Cows and Fish to increase, maintain and improve habitat for species at risk (SAR) within the Grassland Natural Region of Alberta. The project is delivered by Cows and Fish and MultiSAR in partnership with voluntary producers. The project focuses on knowledge sharing, the completion of habitat assessments, development of voluntary Habitat Conservation Strategies (HCS), and subsequent implementation and monitoring of beneficial management practices.

The project now covers 189,000 acres in Southern Alberta and includes ranchers from the Saskatchewan border through to the Alberta Foothills. Habitat enhancement include things such as water development projects, wildlife friendly fencing, and development of specific habitat through structures such as hawk poles.