Download the report A Conservation Blueprint for Canada's Prairies and Parklands
Aspen Parkland
This ecoregion extends in a broad arc from southwestern Manitoba, northwestward through Saskatchewan to its northern apex in central Alberta. Owing to its favourable climate and fertile, warm black soils, this ecoregion represents some of the most productive agricultural land in the Prairies. It is estimated that less than 10 per cent of the natural habitat in this ecoregion remains intact, while most of the 90 per cent disturbed has been converted to agricultural cropland.
The parkland is considered transitional between the boreal forest to the north and the grasslands to the south. Most of the ecoregion is now farmland, but in its native state, trembling aspen, oak groves, mixed-tall shrubs, and intermittent fescue grasslands characterized the landscape. Open stands of trembling aspen and shrubs occur on most sites. The ecoregion also provides a major breeding habitat for waterfowl and includes habitat for White-tailed Deer, Coyote, Snowshoe Hare, Cottontail, Red Fox, Northern Pocket Gopher, Franklin's Ground Squirrel, and bird species like Sharp-tailed Grouse and Black-billed Magpie.
Of ecological significance, the Aspen Parkland ecoregion represents the most extensive boreal-grassland transition in the world. This ecoregion contains the northern-most breeding distribution for many warbler species and has some of the most productive and extensive waterfowl breeding habitat on the continent.
Moist Mixed Grasslands
This ecoregion comprises the northern extension of open grasslands in the Interior Plains of Canada. Native vegetation is relegated to nonarable pasturelands, dominated by spear grass and wheat grass, and a variety of deciduous shrubs including Buckbrush, Chokecherry, Wolf Willow, and Saskatoon. Patches of Scrubby Aspen, Willow, Cottonwood, and Box-elder occur to a limited extent on shaded slopes of valleys, on river terraces, and ringing nonsaline depressional sites covered with meadow grasses and sedges. Intermittent sloughs and ponds provide habitat for waterfowl. White-tailed Deer, Pronghorn Antelope, Coyote, rabbit and Ground Squirrel are common in the region. Waterfowl hunting is common, and recreation is important around several large reservoirs.
Most of this ecoregion has been heavily altered primarily through conversion of natural prairie to agricultural lands.
Mixed Grassland and Cypress Upland
This semi-arid grassland ecoregion in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta forms part of the shortgrass prairie in the Great Plains of North America. The region skirts the Cypress Hills with the area to the south being drained by the Missouri River system, and the area to the north by the South Saskatchewan River. Spear Grass, Blue Grama Grass, and Wheat Grass dominate the natural vegetative cover. June Grass and Dryland Sedge are significant associates. A variety of shrubs and herbs also occur, but Sagebrush is most abundant, and on the driest sites Yellow Cactus and Prickly Pear can be found. Scrubby Aspen, Willow, Cottonwood, and Box-elder occur to a limited extent on shaded slopes of valleys and river terraces. Local saline areas support Alkali Grass, Wild Barley, Greasewood, Red Sampire, and Sea Blite. Pronghorn Antelope, Deer, Sage Grouse, Short-horned Lizard, Western Rattlesnake, Coyote, rabbit, and Ground Squirrel are common species in the ecoregion.
More than 85% of the ecoregion is now grazed by livestock or converted to dryland farming. In the Canadian portion, it is estimated that only about 2 per cent of the ecoregion remains as natural, intact habitat. However, there is extraordinary potential for rapid recovery, as much of the area is degraded rather than converted, and despite some exotic species that have invaded, most of the dominant plant species persist on rangelands.
In 2000, U.S.-based The Nature Conservancy published an ecoregional plan for the Great Plains.
In 2007, the Nature Conservancy of Canada published A Conservation Blueprintnt for Canada's Prairies and Parklands.
