An Ecosystem Services Assessment in the Lake Winnipeg Watershed: Phase 1 Report - Southern Manitoba Analysis

Addressing the eutrophication of Lake Winnipeg is a unique challenge that could be realized by preserving and restoring environmental assets at the watershed scale.

Similar to a death by a thousand cuts, Lake Winnipeg's water quality is being degraded by a multitude of human activities influencing water and nutrient flows on its enormous (approximately 950,000 km2) multi-jurisdictional watershed. Preventing the further degradation of Lake Winnipeg will require novel approaches to influence landscape processes and mitigate non-point nutrient loading.

This Environment Canada funded study focuses on assessing the ecosystem services provided by the current and pre-settlement distribution of southern Manitoba's environmental assets, as this landscape contributes a substantial portion of the nutrient load flowing into the lake. The analysis is followed by a policy narrative that discusses the biophysical characteristics and socio-political drivers that have transformed southern Manitoba.