Where we work
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) delivers conservation programs at the local, regional and national levels, contributing to a healthier environment for waterfowl and all Canadians. To date, DUC has completed 8,880 habitat projects and conserved 6.2 million acres of wetlands and associated habitat. Our efforts concentrate on key threatened landscapes where they will have the greatest imp
act. From coast, to coast, to coast, DUC is active in every province and territory. The map below illustrates our priority areas across Canada. Priority Areas
Our Conservation Plans help us determine the priority areas, which include:
1. Level 1 Priority Landscapes (Red)
a) Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) serves as one of two primary breeding areas for North American waterfowl, supporting up to 14 million breeding ducks. Within the PPR, key waterfowl areas encompass more than 31 million acres, less than two per cent of which are currently under permanent protection. The most important issues facing breeding waterfowl in the PPR are lack of nesting cover and continued wetland loss. b) Western Boreal Forest (WBF) supports populations of 11 to 15 million waterfowl that use the area for breeding, migration, moulting and staging. Six waterfowl species have more than 50 per cent of their breeding population in the WBF since the 1990s. This resource-rich area is under increasing development pressures and while the impacts are largely unknown, they could have huge consequences on wetland habitat including the potential for permanent loss.
2. Level 2 Priority Landscapes (Green)
a) British Columbia Coastal Areas and Estuaries provides important migration and winter habitat, and support a wintering population of over one million waterfowl. Existing habitat resources include: tidal wetlands, agricultural land and freshwater wetlands. The most important immediate threat for waterfowl is the loss of agricultural lands in the Fraser River Delta. The current rate of loss would eliminate all waterfowl –compatible agricultural land in 25 years. b) The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence areas are important for both breeding and migrating waterfowl. The most important issue facing migrating waterfowl in this area is the retention of existing coastal wetlands and offshore habitats, as well as the continuance of agricultural activities adjacent to coastal areas for foraging. c) British Columbia Interior supports over 270,000 breeding waterfowl, and serves as an important stop-over point for several hundred thousand migrating waterfowl. The southern Interior has become the most densely-populated region in the Interior, and it continues to experience exceptional growth annually. Human activities have resulted in the loss of 85 per cent of the wetlands along the valley floor in addition to degrading water quality in lakes important for wildlife habitat, recreation, drinking water and irrigation. In the central Interior, habitats are most threatened by climate change effects, overgrazing and water extraction for irrigation.
3. Level 3 Priority Landscapes (Grey)
a) Eastern Boreal Forest (EBF) encompasses areas rich in wetlands and a very dense network of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams. It supports more than four million waterfowl that use the area for breeding, migration, moulting and staging. There is increasing pressure to develop the EBF, driven by the world’s rapidly-increasing demand for hydroelectricity, forest products, metals and minerals. b) Atlantic Canada provides habitat for 40 per cent of North America’s black ducks, as well as the entire North Atlantic population of Canada geese and over half of the southern race of common eiders. Most of the endangered East Coast harlequin ducks winter here too. The Atlantic Provinces were among the first settled by the Europeans. Over four centuries of human activity have resulted in significant loss and degradation of waterfowl habitat, particularly along the coasts. Learn more about conservation work taking place in your province or community.
