Southwest Manitoba Priority Place

Prairie pothole wetlands, West Souris Mixed-grass Prairie Natural Area, Manitoba (Photo by NCC)

What are Priority Places?

Priority Places are regions whose habitats make them especially important for species at risk and biodiversity, and that have existing opportunities for collaborative and impactful conservation efforts. There are only 12 in the entire country. The borders of each priority place are defined by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), in collaboration with the associated provincial government. One factor in identifying these areas as important for species is that they offer habitats rich in biodiversity. This is thanks in part to the longstanding land stewardship by landowners, managers and communities whose knowledge, cultural practices and reciprocal relationships with the land have sustained and nurtured these ecosystems for generations.

What is the SWMPP?

The Southwest Manitoba Priority Place (SWMPP) initiative is a collaborative conservation planning initiative led by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and ECCC in partnership with communities, governments, conservation organizations, landowners and industry. Located in southwestern Manitoba (see map below), the plan will promote shared, multi-partner conservation efforts for species at risk while taking into account the diverse uses of the region, from industrial and economic activities to cultural and societal needs, including tourism, hunting and fishing.

Southwest Manitoba Priority Place Map

Collaborative and community-oriented, this planning initiative seeks to bring together new and ongoing conservation efforts among communities across the region, recognizing the importance of local perspectives, values and needs. Strategies to advance conservation efforts are intended to be inclusive and draw on knowledge-sharing and collaborative planning sessions.

How does this project contribute to my community’s well-being?

The SWMPP initiative will create a conservation plan that puts communities at the forefront of its efforts. Ecosystem-based species at risk conservation provides numerous benefits to people. These include essential ecosystem services like water filtration, water retention and carbon sequestration. Conservation also supports land-based livelihoods and cultural practices, while fostering a deeper connection to the land through land-based learning and continued access to nature for both locals and visitors.

Connecting people to special places in Southwest Manitoba — including through tourism, hiking, education programs, cultural ceremony and hunting — can be a part of people valuing and working towards shared conservation goals. Through the priority actions outlined in the plan, the conservation of important species at risk habitat will have positive effects for both nature and people.

What is the goal of the SWMPP?

The goal of the SWMPP initiative is to create lasting, community-driven species at risk and biodiversity conservation outcomes by supporting coordinated efforts of communities, economic industries (such as agriculture and energy producers, governments, conservation organizations) and special interest groups in southwestern Manitoba.

Conservation planning for the SWMPP initiative is occurring in the form of an Integrated Conservation Implementation Plan (ICIP). Unlike many conservation plans, which are written either for a single species or for much smaller geographic scales, conservation planning through Priority Places balances the conservation needs of numerous species at risk and habitats across a wide geographic scale and is developed to incorporate the ongoing need for balanced economic and societal uses of this landscape.

Conservation strategies developed within the ICIP related to land conservation and biodiversity have involved input from diverse groups, including rural and Indigenous communities, special interest groups, environmental organizations, governments and the private sector. This ensures that conservation activities are balanced and consider the needs and knowledge of all interested parties.

The plan is intended to be a living document that will serve as a resource to inform and inspire conservation and restoration efforts for land, water and wildlife among individuals, land managers, policymakers, residents, special interest groups, industry and communities.

Community engagement and what we heard

SWMPP Industry Workshop attendees (Photo by NCC Staff)

NCC believes that listening to communities, identifying and strengthening alignment, understanding and support of conservation efforts brings people together, and will ultimately have the greatest impact on nature. Manitoba’s many species at risk rely on this region for survival. In this whole of society spirit, NCC and ECCC hosted community engagement workshops in nine southwestern Manitoba communities in 2023, and an industry-focused workshop with key representatives of industry and business in 2024.

Each meeting included a facilitated discussion on local community and conservation priorities and opportunities, identifying natural benefits to local communities and industries, local conservation goals, barriers, and "win-win" conservation strategies.

These community workshops were then summarized into report documents. These reports are informing the Integrated Conservation Implementation Plan (ICIP). To learn more about the input of a meeting near your community, check out the workshop reports:

Centre of Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER)

Communities and organizations who were invited to the February 16th, 2023 virtual workshop were re-invited to an in-person workshop on April 4th, 2023, in Brandon, MB to share perspectives and input into the SWMPP Initiative.

Participating Rural Communities:

Rural Municipality of Sifton
Rural Municipality of Victoria

Participating Indigenous Organizations:

Government of Treaty 2 Territory
Long Plains First Nation
Rolling River First Nation
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation
Southern Chiefs Organization
Swan Lake First Nation
Treaty One Development Corporation

Community Workshops

The municipalities, communities, and community-based conservation organizations whose activities and interest occur within the SWMPP area were invited to a series of workshops held through the spring and summer of 2023, to share perspectives and provide input into the SWMPP Initiative. The objective was to develop an adaptive, community-driven, multi-partner approach to multi-species at risk recovery in the SWMPP. Most day sessions lasted about five hours while some (at Neepawa and Killarney) had extra evening sessions to accommodate community members with different schedules.

In total, seven community workshops were held in the communities of:

St Claude - including the catchment municipalities of:

North Norfolk, Portage La Prairie, Grey, North Treherne, Dufferin, Lorne, Thompson, Pembina.

Neepawa - including the catchment municipalities of:

Harrison Park, Clanwilliam Erickson, Minnedosa Minto Odanah, Glenella-Lansdowne.

Melita - including the catchment municipalities of:

Two Borders, Deloraine, Brenda - Waskada, Winchester and Grassland.

Killarney - including the catchment municipalities of:

Killarney -Turtle Mountain, Cartwright - Roblin, Boissevain, Prairie Lakes.

Glenboro - including the catchment municipalities of:

Glenboro - South Cypress, North Cypress-Langford, Victoria, Argyle.

Birtle - including the catchment municipalities of:

Ellice-Archie, Prairie View, Hamiota, Oakview, Yellowhead.

Virden - including the catchment municipalities of:

Wallace-Woodworth, Virden, Pipestone, Sifton.

Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Environmental Conservation Gathering

The gathering was held in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation on September 21, 2023. Building on the momentum of previous SWMPP engagement sessions, the workshop sought to collect a range of perspectives from multiple partners to support a community-driven and collaborative approach to multi-species / species at risk recovery within the SWMPP region.

Industry workshop

Industry businesses and organizations that have influence over large land areas and whose activities and interests occur within the SWMPP were invited to this workshop to share perspectives and provide input into the SWMPP Initiative.

The objectives of this workshop were:

To understand the business factors affecting conservation in the region
To help ensure both economic factors and local economic context are incorporated into the conservation plan for the southwest Manitoba region
To identify opportunities for collaboration between industry and conservation, now and into the future

Final report coming soon.

What was discussed at the community workshops?

Communities’ priorities;
Sources of pride;
The aspects of nature that are particularly valued by the community;
Local species at risk conservation efforts;
Potential programs that would be well received in the area;
Perspectives on local conservation initiatives;
Opportunities for conservation to support the regional culture, economy and industry; and
Components of the SWMPP conservation plan that will be especially useful.

What are the next steps now that community input is obtained?

Now that the community workshops are complete, our team has summarized each workshop into reports that capture the suggestions made and the conversations that took place. Collectively, these reports are being used to inform the conservation plan and a community engagement strategy. We encourage everyone within SWMPP boundary to become familiar with the ICIP once the first complete version that will be shared here and through other media channels, starting in April 2025. Ongoing community input, collaboration, and implementation of the plan will help ensure efforts are effective, and reduce threats to species at risk and biodiversity, while enhanced land stewardship will benefit people, industry and nature.

How can my organization be involved in the execution of the plan?

The long-term success of the Priority Places Initiative will be an effort driven by community engagement and collaboration amongst project partners. The plan is intended to act as a resource to identify key conservation strategies, and provide background information and knowledge that organizations, governments and communities groups can incorporate into their specific areas of focus. Successful implementation of the ICIP will rely on ongoing partnerships, and the continuous review and evolution of the plan.

Within the conservation plan, the community engagement strategy will be a crucial tool for growing partnerships in the region and sharing information about the conservation priorities. Raising awareness about the importance of species at risk, biodiversity and conservation through education programs can help build a culture of stewardship.

How can I stay updated on the project?

The best place to learn more about the project is right here! In the coming months, we will link to the Integrated Conservation Implementation Plan (ICIP) and launch a dedicated SWMPP website, and that link, when ready, will be available here.  

NCC's philosophy and project role

As a whole of society spirited organization, NCC believes in a collaborative approach to conservation, bringing together balanced public, private and community interests to create tangible impacts for the planet and its people. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do.

NCC has a proven track record of adaptive conservation planning that incorporates a whole of society approach to species at risk conservation. We have taken on the responsibility of consulting with the region to develop a conservation plan that can be successfully implemented based on the region’s needs.

Once the ICIP has been developed, organizations throughout the region will be able to incorporate its recommendations into their planning and priorities as they see fit.

Contact

Steven Anderson
Conservation Operations Program Coordinator
Nature Conservancy of Canada
steven.anderson@natureconservancy.ca