On June 2nd, 2014, a CBC article titled "National Conservation Plan ignores National Parks, Wilderness" was published here. In it, Dr. Rooney is quoted regarding how far the $50 million slated towards wetland restoration by the Plan might go. Her estimates derive from work of her Alberta colleagues. Dr. Shari Clare and Dr. Naomi Krogman compiled the per ha costs of wetland restoration carried out by Ducks Unlimited throughout Alberta between 2000 and 2009 to arrive at the $7600/ha average cost.
The cost of wetland restoration depends on a variety of factors, including the nature of the restoration challenge, the cost of land, the type of land securement, and the degree of monitoring. Typically, development takes place on high value land around growing urban centres. Wetlands in these high value lands are destroyed and, where required by law, compensation wetlands are often created in regions of lower land value. Thus, wetlands are displaced across the landscape from the urban centres where their flood prevention and water quality enhancement ecosystem services are most needed, to outlying, less densely populated regions.
The science and practice of wetland restoration has made huge advances in the last few decades, but wetland conservation remains a much surer bet. This is why conservation must be prioritised over restoration, if we hope to prevent further wetland losses in Canada.