So important are these habitats that in the Prairies their availability determines the abundance of many waterfowl species. Studies show that populations of pintail ducks fluctuate as the number of wetlands changes with wet and dry cycles. Waterfowl are also affected by poor water quality. Sedimentation and eutrophication of waterways have been found to reduce the number of aquatic prey insects and also limit the visibility for diving ducks. Pesticides can also alter the availability of food, and herbicides can reduce necessary cover.
Many farmers now employ management practices that encourage the presence of waterfowl on their land.
These practices include growing forages on marginal land where waterfowl can nest delaying cutting until the young have left nest sites modifying grazing patterns to keep some paddocks free of livestock until use by waterfowl is finished using land management practices that promote better water quality. With the cooperation of farmers, these and other conservation groups are restoring and re-establishing wetlands, and adding features such as small dams, nesting boxes, and vegetation to improve the habitat potential. Wetlands provide staging sites for migrating waterfowl, as well as nest sites. Restored wetlands can provide a year-round source of water where there once may have been only a seasonal stream. It seeks to restore waterfowl populations in Canada, the United States, and Mexico to levels recorded during the 1970s, a benchmark decade for conserving waterfowl through habitat securement and management.