Protect our Wetlands – Protect Nature Challenge

Wetlands, like marshes, swamps and bogs, are very important for our natural world.

Canada has about 129 million hectares of wetlands, covering 13 percent of Canada’s terrestrial area. This amount is close to one quarter of the world’s remaining wetlands. Once abundant throughout Canada, they are now increasingly scarce in settled areas of the country.

Wetlands play important roles such as protecting water quality; moderating the impact of flooding; providing storage for carbon, which helps reduce the impact of climate change; and providing important habitat for fish and wildlife. They also have significant cultural, social, food and spiritual value for Indigenous Peoples.

Our remaining wetlands can be protected through conservation programs. You can also make a difference by

• discovering locally protected wetlands with friends and family
• participating in environmental stewardship initiatives in your area, such as tree and shrub planting and litter clean-ups
• supporting wetland-conservation initiatives by donating time or money, if you can

Learn more about Canada’s wetlands.

Let’s do this together

Share these challenges with your friends and family and show us what you are doing by tagging us in your social media messages and by using the hashtag #ProtectNature.

We’re on Instagram @canenvironment, Facebook @EnvironmentandClimateChange and Twitter @environmentca.

Need inspiration?

Check out our list of challenges to help protect nature.