Kelowna Capital News – April 23, 2014
The Central Okanagan has some of the better protections for wetlands in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, according to work done during the first phase of the Okanagan Wetlands Strategy.
The strategy is a three-phase collaborative effort to re-establish the importance of these ecosystems, which house phenomenal biodiversity, boost real estate values, offer flood mitigation and generally improve the livability of the valley for plants, animals and human beings.
Drawing on input from a wide variety of stakeholders, researchers spent the last year inventorying wetlands in this region, where over 85 per cent have been lost to urbanization, agriculture and development.