Preserving natural landscapes and the plants and animals they sustain, including endangered species and species-at-risk is the goal of Nature Conservancy Canada and it will be the main topic of discussion at the annual national meetings in Saskatoon this week. Vice-President of the Saskatchewan NCC, Jennifer McKillop, says they hope to move the pace of conservation forward through new projects and ideas from these meetings. Ecologists, agrologists and biologists will be a part of the discussion and because Saskatchewan is hosting, this province’s challenges will be highlighted. McKillop says only 20 per cent of the province’s native grasslands remain and they are one of the most endangered habitats in the world. Since the NCC began working in Saskatchewan, 61-thousand hectares, or over 150-thousand acres, have been protected including grasslands, wetlands and forests.
McKillop adds that having natural spaces helps in the fight against climate change. Natural areas store and sequester carbon dioxide and provide space for species to adapt to changes in weather and habitat. Natural areas also buffer the impacts of droughts and floods. Nature Conservancy of Canada is a non-profit conservation organization that works with landowners to protect natural habitats and the species within them.