Homes on the Range Short Documentary Featured in The Wildlife Society’s Annual Conference

Public and Stakeholder Engagement’s (PSE) newest short documentary, Homes on the Range, was recently featured in The Wildlife Society’s annual conference in Edmonton.

Homes on the Range highlights the key role of beef cattle farmers and ranchers in preserving critical wildlife habitat on Canadian grasslands. Research from the 2024 National Beef Sustainability Assessment indicates that land used for beef production contributes the majority of critical habitat that wildlife need for reproduction (74%) and feeding (55%).

The Wildlife Society conference is one of the largest gatherings of wildlife researchers, professionals, and enthusiasts in North America. Sessions range from new research on wildlife population patterns to explorations of wildlife management practices to working groups on priority topics.

Homes on the Range was featured as the first presentation in a session focused on wildlife in grassland ecosystems. PSE staff member Emma Cross attended the conference to present the latest research from the National Beef Sustainability Assessment on the contribution of Canadian beef producers to wildlife conservation and highlight key stories of farmers featured in the film. Conservationists like Tom Lynch-Staunton from the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Dr. Carolyn Callaghan of the Canadian Wildlife Federation were featured in the documentary and helped to reinforce third-party support for the importance of beef producers to their work.

By kicking off the grassland session, PSE set the stage for attendees to consider beef producers as being a key driver of conservation and habitat, rather than an obstacle. The other research presented in the same session explored grassland habitat loss and the impact of cattle management practices on wildlife, with a tone of positivity set up by seeing parts of the Homes on the Range film.

Throughout the session, every presenter noted the continuing loss of grassland habitat as an issue for wildlife conservation. As the National Beef Sustainability Assessment revealed, while Canada’s overall wildlife habitat capacity has decreased due to land conversion, the beef industry’s share of the remaining capacity has increased. Having PSE kickstart this session emphasized that grazing cattle is critical to preserving habitat and supporting biodiversity as one of the only economic uses of grasslands compatible with wildlife.

Attendees at the conference were curious to hear more about the resources available to producers to help them optimize management practices, allowing the knowledge transfer work of the Beef Cattle Research Council to be highlighted. One audience member commented that “It was great to see producers at the same table and interested in the same themes we are as conservationists.”

Homes on the Range is being featured at film festivals and conferences across Canada this fall, helping it reach a broader public audience and stakeholders in conservation. The film was released for public viewing via the Raising Canadian Beef YouTube channel on World Wildlife Day September 4.