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Tracking wetland loss to improve evidence-based wetland policy learning and decision making

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Abstract

At the core of any evidence-based policy analysis are accurate data and the policy analytic capacity of government agencies to use these data to develop and measure metrics of policy success. This study evaluated the government’s policy capacity to manage wetlands in Alberta, Canada, by measuring and evaluating three policy metrics: (1) no net change of wetland area; (2) permitted versus unpermitted wetland loss; and (3) an information tracking system that provides credible regulatory oversight. Using a climate-corrected wetland loss inventory, we detected the loss of 242 wetlands, totaling 71 ha, in the Beaverhill subwatershed between 1999 and 2009. The majority of the losses occurred on land that were classified as ‘developed’ (urban and industrial) or ‘agriculture’. When wetland loss was compared to government-issued wetland permit data, we found that over 80 % of the wetland area was lost without a government permit. The wetland permit data also revealed serious problems with information tracking by both government and non-government agencies responsible for policy and regulatory oversight. In order to resolve these common policy failures, governments need to commit more resources towards acquiring, effectively managing, and freely sharing information that can be used to evaluate policy outcomes to ‘open up’ wetland management and decision making to include active participation from informal institutions, local governments, and the general public as a means to drive improved regulatory oversight.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the staff at Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development and Ducks Unlimited Canada for their assistance in facilitating access to wetland approvals and compensation information, as well as providing spatial data for this analysis. We also sincerely thank A. Spargo, C. James, and D. Aldred for their assistance with the spatial analysis. This research was supported by the Alberta Water Research Institute, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the John and Patricia Schlosser Environment Scholarship, the University of Alberta Faculty of Graduate Studies, and Fiera Biological Consulting Ltd.

Funding sources

This research was supported by the Alberta Water Research Institute, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the John and Patricia Schlosser Environment Scholarship, the University of Alberta Faculty of Graduate Studies, and Fiera Biological Consulting Ltd.

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Correspondence to Shari Clare.

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Clare, S., Creed, I.F. Tracking wetland loss to improve evidence-based wetland policy learning and decision making. Wetlands Ecol Manage 22, 235–245 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-013-9326-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-013-9326-2

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