Six principles to guide the transition of the PFRA pastures

Chestnut-collared longspur, one of 31 species at risk whose habitat needs are considered in the management plans of the PFRA pastures (image courtesy of Allan McKeigan)

This week there was a fair bit of media on the PFRA pastures (including this one in the Leader-Post covering our Public Pastures-Public Interest media conference), but here is the one I liked best--an article by Candace Savage in Canadian Geographic.

At our media conference we announced the list of organizations that have endorsed PPPI's set of principles.

Here are the principles, followed by the provincial, national, and international organizations who have endorsed them:

A Vision for the Future of Saskatchewan Heritage Rangelands

In the spring of 2012, the federal government announced it was transferring control of the PFRA pastures back to the provinces. In Saskatchewan the PFRA lands comprise 62 pastures totaling 1.8 million acres. The land for the pastures is almost all provincially owned.  While the Manitoba government intends to keep the land under public ownership, the Saskatchewan government has announced it plans to sell or lease the land to farmers and ranchers who have been grazing livestock on the pastures. The Province has also said that it does not want to manage the pastures.

A forum on the pastures was held on November 23, 2012 in Regina. A second event, the “Forum on the Future of the PFRA Pastures,” was held on March 1, 2013, at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.  The Saskatoon forum was attended by over 100 rural and urban residents including, farmers, ranchers, conservationists, First Nations, scientists, and academics. 

The following principles were developed by Public Pastures – Public Interest based on input from the forums, further discussions and research evidence.

The Principles

1.     Keep ownership of the PFRA pastures in the public domain.

This is the best way to balance diverse interests, to preserve the integrity of the pastures, and to ensure that the legacy of the pastures is secured for future generations.

2.     Maintain livestock grazing as a priority.

Livestock grazing is essential to the management of healthy prairie grasslands and to maintaining cattle and other livestock cattle production now and in the future. This is a win-win arrangement that benefits producers and preserves the natural ecosystems in the pastures.

3.     Utilize professional pasture managers.

It has taken decades to build up the expertise needed to manage the livestock and grazing, the ecosystems, and the habitats for indigenous species and species at risk. Pasture managers are part of a system-wide team that helps them to improve their individual practices and provides coordinated support. Pasture patrons have dubbed their PFRA pasture manager as ‘their best asset.’

4.     Preserve the natural landscapes and ecological integrity of the pastures.

Preservation of the natural landscapes and ecology of the pastures is important at a World level. They contain the largest contiguous block original prairie grasslands in the Northern Great Plains. They are home to many indigenous species, including 32 species at risk found in 55 of the pastures.

5.     Protect the cultural and historic significance of these heritage rangelands.

The pastures contain significant heritage and archaeological sites, and sacred and ceremonial sites that are still significant in contemporary First Nation and Métis cultures. They have played a key role in Canada’s agricultural development and preserve the tradition of working cowboys. The pastures are part of the history, culture, and vitality of rural Saskatchewan.

6.     Recognize and sustain the investment in the public benefits provided by publicly-owned community pastures.

Through the visionary action taken by key agricultural leaders more than 75 years ago, public resources were applied to restore degraded land to a state that yielded economic production and environmental benefits year after year. The PFRA community pastures provide one of the best examples of a “‘triple-bottom-line” enterprise in Canada. This investment needs to be continued now and in the future.

A Strategy Forward

A.    Work with stakeholders to establish an inclusive Transition Plan.

We need a clear and transparent transition plan to manage the changes to the PFRA community pastures. Participants in the planning should include: governments, pasture patrons, municipalities, First Nations, industries, conservation organizations, range managers and others. The goal should be to ensure that the best-management practices developed through the PFRA continue to serve pasture patrons, protect our natural and cultural heritage, and  provide benefits for the people of Saskatchewan.

B.    Take the time to get it right.

The decisions from the federal government were made without consultation. The Saskatchewan government has bought a little time from the federal government to do some review of the situation, but forcing a decision to dispose of the first ten pastures by the Fall of 2013, as currently planned, is too rushed. Time is needed for the general public, who are the owners of the land, and the various stakeholders, to determine what the future of the community pastures will be and how they can be preserved for future generations.

And the growing list of endorsing organizations:

1. Alberta Wilderness Association
2. Audubon Rockies, USA
3. BC Nature
4. Bird Studies Canada
5. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Saskatchewan Office
6. Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – National Office
7. Fundación Biósfera del Anáhuac, Anáhuac Biosphere Foundation, Mexico
8. Iniciativa Bosque de Agua, Rain Forest Initiative, Mexico
9. International Union for the Conservation of Nature
10. National Farmers Union
11. Nature Alberta
12. Nature Canada
13. Nature Manitoba
14. Nature Saskatchewan
15. National Audubon Society, USA
16. Nature New Brunswick
17. Nature Nova Scotia
18. Ontario Nature
19. Protecttheprairie.ca
20. Public Pastures – Public Interest
21. Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development in Saskatchewan
22. Regina Public Interest Research Group
23. Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory
24. Saskatchewan Archaeological Society
25. Saskatchewan Environmental Society
26. Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Association
27. Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation
28. Society of Grassland Naturalists (Medicine Hat)
29. Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative
30. University of Regina Pasture Profs

Grasshopper sparrow--one of many grassland species that flourish on the PFRA pastures