Spring 2013

Newsletter Archive

Natural Grassland Stewardship Project Update

The Miistakis Miinute Spring 2012 edition introduced a project the Miistakis Institute was working on with the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSAI), Nature Saskatchewan and Prairie Trust with funding from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). That work resulted in two reports). The partner organizations determined a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) approach focused on Species at Risk as the most appropriate approach to meeting their conservation, landscape and ranching goals. The CEC provided further funding to assist in the design of a PES program. As part of the design effort the RSAI hosted two workshops involving species experts, range managers, ranchers, government, industry associations, environmental non-government organizations and Miistakis. The agenda considered the needs of two species at risk and how ranchers could support and encourage greater productivity of these species; what a program would reward; how it would be measured; and how ranchers might be rewarded for their efforts. The next step is a report outlining the design of the PES programs based on those workshops.

Photo Credit: Michael Burgess