The PHJV’s Western Boreal Forest aims to conserve ~30.7 million acres of core waterfowl habitat by 2020, with about half protected lands and half in sustainable land-use areas. The PHJV strives to meet this goal through two main objectives: direct habitat retention and by engaging the public and building support for conservation.
Habitat Objectives
The PHJV’s WBF activities are primarily retention based, so the ultimate goal is no net loss of habitat function, which involves countering both degradation and loss. Because over 90 percent of the WBF is either Crown- or indigenous owned and industry-worked, these goals will be achieved by influencing various direct, government-led securement programs or regulatory options and industry-led planning and practices (e.g., government or corporate policies).
PHJV Western Boreal Total and Waterfowl Habitat Objectives
Research and Evaluation Priorities
Waterfowl distribution and potential target landscapes in the Western Boreal Forest. See pages 16-18 and Fig. 8 of the WBF Implementation Plan for further explanation.
Human Dimension Objectives: Building Support for Conservation
The PHJV’s WBF accomplishments benefit people from the local to continental scales. Wetlands are a focal point for traditional lifestyles, meaning that boreal-based communities often share interest in conserving the same habitats as the PHJV. As well, carbon stores and sequestration potential of the 150-million acres of WBF peatlands and other wetland types are considered continentally important for carbon market interests such as conservation offsets. PHJV success in the WBF relies on ensuring people recognize these values and support conservation efforts.
The PHJV will continue to work with indigenous communities and other WBF stakeholders to advance protected land and sustainable land use habitat objectives that benefit waterfowl and people.