Abstracts

Presented by Scott E. Stephens - Email: s_stephens@ducks.ca

"With a growing population of over 7.7 billion people, global demand for agriculture to produce food and fiber continues to increase. Coincidentally, landscapes critical to North American waterfowl populations are dominated by agriculture. Can world demand for agricultural products and continued conservation of waterfowl habitats both be achieved in key landscapes? To explore this question, we look to the Prairie Pothole Region of the U.S. and Canada. Fortunately, the agricultural industry is recognizing that consumers demand food and fiber products that were produced in an environmentally-sustainable way. As a result, industry is striving to find sustainable ways of increasing agricultural production that maintain the long-term environmental health and productivity and the benefits provided by natural systems, such as wetlands and grasslands. This session highlights industry visions for sustainable agriculture in the Prairie Pothole Region. Conservation interests must actively engage with industry to ensure that grassland and wetland habitats, which are critical to breeding waterfowl, are part of sustainable agriculture’s future. Partnering with a diversity of agricultural industry groups is fundamental to ensuring that key landscapes continue to provide breeding habitat for waterfowl, along with other critical ecosystem services, while still meeting demand for agricultural products.