Geography Matters: Targeting “hotspots” for cumulative environmental benefits

The briefing identifies three specific water-quality hotspots in Manitoba based on 2016 Census of Agriculture data: the Southwest Red River Valley (high fertilizer application), Southwestern Manitoba (high conservation tillage), and the Southeast Red River Valley (high non-incorporated manure application). It argues that spatial targeting of natural infrastructure, such as engineered wetlands, and beneficial management practices can maximize the efficiency of public investments to reduce nutrient runoff into Lake Winnipeg.

• The Southwest Red River Valley, encompassing the LaSalle, Boyne, and Morris River watersheds, is a hotspot due to having the "highest proportion of fertilizer applied relative to watershed area".
• Southwestern Manitoba, including the Souris and Cypress River watersheds and part of the Assiniboine River, has a high concentration of conservation tillage (zero and reduced till). While beneficial for soil health and carbon sequestration, this practice "may cause increased dissolved phosphorus runoff".
• The Southeast Red River Valley, specifically the lower portions of the Rat, Seine, and Marsh rivers, is a hotspot for manure application that is "not incorporated into the soil", with concentrations "three to four standard deviations above the provincial mean".
• Natural infrastructure projects can effectively mitigate nutrient runoff and flood risk; for example, the 500 ha Pelly’s Lake engineered wetland in Manitoba has "removed over 5 tonnes of phosphorus" and provides 1,200 acre feet of controlled water storage.
• In Minnesota, the 780 ha North Ottawa impoundment reduces nitrogen and phosphorus loading by "68 per cent and 54 per cent respectively" and prevents chronic flooding of 40 km2 of land.
• The Red River Basin is a major contributor to nutrient loading in Lake Winnipeg, accounting for "almost 70 per cent of the lake’s nutrient loads".

APA

Gunn, G., Roy, D., & Grosshans, R. (2019). Geography Matters: Targeting “hotspots” for cumulative environmental benefits. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/geography-matters-hot-spots-benefits.pdf

Chicago

Gunn, Geoff, Dimple Roy, and Richard Grosshans. Geography Matters: Targeting “hotspots” for cumulative environmental benefits. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/geography-matters-hot-spots-benefits.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gunn |first1=Geoff |last2=Roy |first2=Dimple |last3=Grosshans |first3=Richard |title=Geography Matters: Targeting “hotspots” for cumulative environmental benefits |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/geography-matters-hot-spots-benefits.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gunn2019geography, author = {Gunn, Geoff and Roy, Dimple and Grosshans, Richard}, title = {{Geography Matters: Targeting “hotspots” for cumulative environmental benefits}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/geography-matters-hot-spots-benefits.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }