The federal government plans to introduce an emergency protection order for the greater sage grouse in upcoming months.
The emergency order will protect the endangered bird by imposing restrictions on provincial and federal crown lands in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Private lands, provincial and federal grazing lands will be free of these restrictions.
The greater sage grouse lives in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. There are fewer than 150 birds remaining in the two provinces.
Funding will be available under the Habitat Stewardship Program for landowners and stakeholders in protecting the sage grouse.
The federal, Saskatchewan and Alberta governments, Calgary Zoo and other stakeholders have committed to providing more than $1 million in funding over the next three years on protection projects for the sage grouse and other endangered species.
An emergency order under the Species at Risk Act is used when a species faces imminent threats to its survival. This is the first time that an emergency order has been invoked since the act was created in 2002.
