Canada has about 1.2 million square kilometres of wetlands which is approx. 25% of the world's wetlands. Wetlands cover about 14% of Canada's land mass - Ontario, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories contain the largest area of wetlands.
The wetland ecosystem provides food, water and shelter for all kinds of animals and a habitat for many types of plants and are considered to be one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. For instance, owned by the Goverment of Canada, Whooping Crane Summer Range is a 16,895 km wetland complex in the boreal forests of northern Alberta and southwestern Northwest Territories in Canada. It is the only natural nesting habitat for the endangered whooping crane.
Wetlands are areas that are covered with water all or most of the time or are flooded. They are not considered to be firm land nor are they considered to be bodies of water. Canada has many different types of wetlands, such as bogs, fens, swamps, marshes and shallow waters.
And check out this article in last weeks Edmonton Sun - Edmonton troops fighting for Canada's wetlands. As discussed in the article: On March 25, the inaugural Ducks Unlimited Fundraiser will be held at Edmonton's Canadian Forces Base Garrison and organizers are expecting to raise a significant amount of money for wetland conservation.
Source: nature.ca, Environment Canada, The Atlas of Canada
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