Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Tool
The Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Tool (HBAT) is the centrepiece of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s (CFGA) Nature Fund Project, which is made possible with financial support from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) as part of the Canada Nature Fund.
Building on a tool developed in Alberta, the HBAT is a province-specific online tool for land managers to use for habitat and biodiversity assessment in order to gain a basic understanding of important habitats and biodiversity on their land. It provides guidance on which beneficial management practices (BMPs) are most relevant to the habitats on their farms and helps them integrate the needs of multiple native species in the management of the land.
The tool includes a searchable database that allows users to see how adopting particular BMPs will improve their land’s biodiversity, including species at risk.
Grassland Learning & Knowledge Hub
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has funded a grassland learning and knowledge hub that focuses on the economic, social and policy components of grasslands in Prairie Canada. The successful recipient was a partnership of the University of Alberta, the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the RAD-Wahkohtowin Development Organization. The project will run from 2024 to 2029 and will seek to be collaborative and engage grassland participants from across diverse communities and backgrounds.
Tomorrow’s Prairies
Tomorrow’s Prairies: Baselines and Projections for Grasslands Change in Canada project is a three-year collaborative research effort led by Nature United.
