Leaving
wetlands
in
their
natural
state
could
reduce
the
financial
costs
of
flooding
by
nearly
40
per
cent,
according
to
a
report
from
the
University
of
Waterloo.
Researchers
at
Waterloo’s Intact
Centre
on
Climate
Adaptation
found
that
avoiding
wetland
loss
could
lead
to
substantial
savings
for
Canadian
communities
that
experience
flooding.
In
compiling
the report,
researchers
compared
the
financial
costs
of
a
major
flood
event
in
urban
and
rural
areas,
where
wetlands
were
left
in
their
natural
state,
versus
where
a
computer
model
simulated
wetlands
loss.
The modeling showed that if a major fall flood were to occur, the financial costs of flooding in rural and urban areas would be 29 and 38 per cent lower, respectively, with wetlands in their natural state vs. being lost due to development.
said Water Institute member Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre and author on the report. “With the ever-increasing financial burden of flooding to Canadians, it is remarkable that a practical and cost-effective means to alleviate flood risk is readily available — that is, simply leave natural wetlands natural.”
The
researchers
used
two
locations
in
Ontario,
one
rural
and
one
urban,
where
flood
damage
costs
avoided
were
calculated
using
average
historic
insurance
claims
data
and
provincial
flood
damage
estimates
from
Ontario
and
Alberta.
These
flood
damage
costs
estimates
took
into
account
the
costs
of
damages
to
building
structures
and
their
contents.
The
Ontario
Ministry
of
Natural
Resources
and
Forestry
and
Ducks
Unlimited
Canada
funded
the
report.
"We know wetlands help to reduce the impacts of flooding,” said Lynette Mader, Ontario manager of Ducks Unlimited Canada. “The Intact Centre research illustrates quantitatively that wetlands conservation offers a fiscally responsible means to address flooding that should factor prominently into infrastructure development going forward.”
Feltmate says the report’s findings support a number of commitments made by the federal and provincial governments with respect to climate change and wetlands conservation.
said Feltmate. “The findings of this research support the mandate of these programs and others that are being engaged at the municipal, provincial and national level to limit the costliest climate change impact in Canada – flooding.”
Wetlands cover about 14 per cent of Canada’s total land area. In Ontario, wetlands cover about 21,000,000 hectares with the majority located in the North. In Southern Ontario, 72 per cent of the original wetlands have been lost to development (e.g., agriculture, urban sprawl and other land conversion).
Story written by Mathew Grant