The following article was published on September 17th in the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon Star Phoenix. Draining wetlands and turning over grasslands for crop production represents an immense loss to Saskatchewan’s biodiversity.

The world abhors cutting down the Amazon rainforest. But did you know that Saskatchewan’s native grasslands are a far more endangered ecosystem than the Amazon?

Our grasslands are teeming with biodiversity, but we’ve lost upwards of 85 per cent of this natural system. It’s time to stop ignoring the Amazon in our backyard and, instead, see the opportunity.

As a professional wildlife biologist, rural resident and small business owner with 20 years of experience of working in these natural systems and completing impact assessments for proposed developments, I’ve experienced Saskatchewan as a land of opportunity.

My work has taken me to all corners of the province. I’ve trudged through the Athabasca Sand Dunes in the very northwest and watched birds in the Saskatchewan River Delta, the largest freshwater inland delta on the continent.

I’ve walked in the endless expanse of Grasslands National Park and looked out over southern prairies that flow seamlessly down into the Great Plains of North America.

But Saskatchewan is changing. Wild species that were once abundant are now struggling to live in remnant patches of habitat; and those small pieces of land are being threatened by policies that seek to use it for monoculture crop production.

Draining wetlands and turning over grasslands for crop production is an immense loss to Saskatchewan’s biodiversity. The world needs our food, but we also need healthy ecosystems in our backyards.

Endangered species, like the burrowing owl, are Saskatchewan’s version of the panda bear, but they don’t receive the same international attention. There are 30 species at risk in this province and growing each year.

Consider the chestnut-collared longspur, a small prairie ground-feeding bird you might have seen in the past, which was recently up-listed from threatened to endangered. These unique creatures should not be forgotten as we balance benefiting from the resources Saskatchewan has.

In 2021, Canada hosted a historic global summit on biodiversity in Montreal, known as COP15. At COP15, the world pledged to conserve 30 per cent of land and inland waters by 2030 as a way to protect biodiversity on the planet.

Longtime lovers of local wildlife may remember that in the 1990s, Saskatchewan itself committed to protecting 12 per cent of the province. But as of early 2023, Saskatchewan was at a mere nine percent area protected, with even less in our prairie region.

Despite all of this, I still believe Saskatchewan is a land of opportunity, and one where we can thrive economically while ensuring that nature can thrive too. I’ve witnessed what Saskatchewanians can do when we all work together.

People across the province are calling for Saskatchewan to do right by nature.

An online survey this year by the Saskatchewan chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society reported that the vast majority of Saskatchewan residents from every corner of the province believe we must ensure our grandchildren enjoy the same thriving prairie landscape that we do.

There are agricultural producers across the province who know how to strike a balance to sustain humans and wildlife and they should be applauded for that. Cattle ranchers are benefiting from native grasslands that are more resistant to drought, some even returning marginal croplands to grass.

Farmers are protecting wetlands, leaving buffers around streams that are key to our clean water supply and groundwater that benefit crops. Wisely using our natural lands, adapting to weather extremes and cycles of the prairies is how we’ll safeguard food production against future climate uncertainty.

These small contributions from individuals are great and we also need support from the province for more large protected areas of natural landscape. We have the knowledge to forge a future with sustainable land use.

Saskatchewan’s landscape is incredible, diverse and should not be overlooked. We are not meeting our own commitments, and we must, in order to create the balance we need for our grandchildren to enjoy this unique landscape and have an economic future in Saskatchewan.

Right now, there is an opportunity in front of us. Let’s not waste it.

Jean-Michel DeVink is a small business owner and an adjunct professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan.