| In the Spring of 2008, the PEI Government announced a plan to implement a province-wide Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Program. Based on the success of the PEI Ecological Goods & Services Pilot Project (EG&S), the Province determined that the provision of EG&S payments was an effective way to achieve desired environmental outcomes. The EG&S Pilot Project was administered with by the Souris & Area Wildlife Branch in conjunction with the producers of the Souris Watershed. The photos on the right are from the launch held at the Souris Ski Club in December 2008. The table identifies the practices that are eligible for funding under the Provincial ALUS Program and their respective payment rates. All of the practices that are being funded under the provincial program were components of the comprehensive land management package under the EG&S Pilot project and the payment rates are based on those used in the Pilot. | |
Landowners who applied in Year 1 (2008-09) of the ALUS Program entered into a 5 year contract. The contract length will be reduced by a year for each succeeding year that a landowner applies to the program. All contracts will expire in 2013 at which time they will be reviewed.
Summary of the PEI ALUS Program – eligible services and payments
Environmental Service
Buffer Zone Tree Planting(Tree Planting 0 – 15 m in buffer)
Expanded Buffer Zones
High Slope Land Retirement
Permanent Grassed Headlands (outside the
200 m requirement of the buffer zone regulations
Land Utilized by Soil Conservation Structures
| Annual Payment Rate
$ 185/ha
$ 185/ha
$ 100/ha
$ 185/ha
$ 250/ha
|
The ALUS Program was given an annual budget of $750,000 for landowner payments in 2008-09. This budget was increased to $1,000,000 in 2009-10.
The ALUS Program is being direct delivered and administered by government staff. Watershed Groups from across the province have been made fully aware of the details of this Program and they have been encouraged to solicit landowner participation to help mitigate the environmental issues in their watershed.
Initial producer uptake of the Provincial ALUS Program has been impressive. The Program was officially launched in January, 2008 and by the end of the fiscal year, 12% to 15% of Island producers had completed an application to participate.
Copyright
Souris Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife FederationAll pictures appearing on this site or its associated flickr account are the property of the photographers and the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation.
They may not be copied without permission of the photographer and the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation.
