Threatened Island birds getting more protection

ALUS Canada and the P.E.I. government have signed a landmark agreement to help conserve threatened grassland bird species in the province.

ALUS Canada and the province’s Alternative Land Use Services (P.E.I. ALUS) program have been partners for over a decade in helping Canadian farmers produce ecosystem services, but this is the first time ALUS Canada has helped to fund activities of the P.E.I. ALUS program.

“We are making this investment to support conservation outcomes on the Island, specifically to help make cleaner air, cleaner water and more biodiversity for Prince Edward Island’s communities,” said ALUS Canada CEO Bryan Gilvesy.

“We are happy to bring ALUS P.E.I. into ALUS Canada’s national marketplace for ecosystem services.”

The funding of $90,000 over three years will be used by P.E.I. ALUS to support farmers to delay their first cut of hay until July 15, after fledging grassland bird species have left the nest.

This is a simple and effective way to reduce mortality in species such as bobolink, classified as threatened in eastern Canada by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

The annual payment of $25 per acre recognizes the value of the ecosystem services farmers provide to society, in this case by delaying their hay cut to increase grassland biodiversity.