Study finds forests and wetlands protect 3.7 million people in 358 Canadian population centres.
Protecting five per cent of Canada’s watersheds could help safeguard more than half the country’s urban areas at risk of downstream flooding, a new study has found.
“We’re talking about forests, we’re talking about grasslands, we’re talking about wetlands, Arctic and alpine tundras as well — all of the natural ecosystems across Canada have a unique ability to capture rainfall,” said Mitchell. The leaves and needles of a forest, for example, intercept rain. Meanwhile, a tree’s roots help water to penetrate underground instead of quickly flowing overland and overwhelming rivers all at once.
“At least half the population lives in a city where some people would be impacted by a flood,” said Mitchell. Parts of Manitoba and central Alberta were also identified as higher risk to flood damage should natural ecosystems disappear.
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