Wetland Restoration Inspires GFoundation Action

Successful experiences in restoring wetlands in Alberta have convinced the Board of the Global Foundation For Social Harmony and Sustainable Development (GFoundation) to scale up its efforts to counteract the slow pace of decision-making by all levels of government in implementing tangible targets for protecting the environment, particularly those intended to address climate change and biodiversity issues.

In recent months, the GFoundation has created a new headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta to support its activities in Beaver County, where practical conservation and learning activities within the UN-designated Beaver Hills Biosphere have been taking place over the last decade.

GFoundation President Winston Gereluk said a new website is about to be launched and the organisation is actively building alliances by joining the Alberta Environment Network (AEN) and the Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN). It has joined the RCEN’s biodiversity caucus and will soon announce a campaign to convince the Alberta Government to pursue national biodiversity targets more aggressively.

Meanwhile GFoundation wants to step up its practical wetland and watershed activities with landowners in the 15,000 acres of land that surrounds its home in Beaver County. “We want to shed more light on the steady deterioration of our forest and its habitats, and work with landowners in the area to find ways to counter it.” Gereluk said.

GFoundation has recently joined a Beaver Hills Biosphere (BHB) Surface Water Management Community of Practice (CoP), a surface water knowledge sharing group, as well as becoming a member of both the Battle River and North Saskatchewan Watershed alliances.

GFoundation has conformed to the adage about combining local with global action. This month, it will provide input to a municipal bylaw review in the County of Beaver, as well as providing input and preparing for the next international assembly in Nairobi of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), to which it is now accredited.

“We are a little organisation powered by volunteers, from top to bottom” said
Gereluk, and appealed for more people to get on board. We desperately need more boots on the ground, shovels in the soil, as well as more technical support and professional know-how to speak on our behalf. As a non-profit organisation, we also need financial support of our ambitious program from like-minded people. We urge you to donate by contacting [email protected]. Click here to become a volunteer.