The Ontario government has announced $20 million funding over the next four years for the Greenlands Conservation Partnership to “help secure land of ecological importance and promote healthy, natural spaces”.
Funding will enable the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance to conserve, restore and manage natural areas such as wetlands, grasslands and forests. This initiative will help mitigate the effects of climate change, a key commitment in the province’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan and increase the number of conserved natural spaces for the public to enjoy.
“We are expanding the amount of conserved green space across the province, not only to help preserve the environment, but to promote physical activity such as hiking and improving our mental health,” said Jeff Yurek, minister of the environment, conservation and parks.
“By taking this approach, our government will be leaving a magnificent legacy for the benefit of future generations. It has been wonderful to be working with outstanding conservation leaders like the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance to achieve our shared goals.”
The Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance are doing important work in Ontario to protect the environment and safeguard our lands and water. With this new partnership, they will be able to use private donations and funds from other non-provincial sources to match the $20 million provincial investment to secure new privately-owned natural areas across the province and restore and manage these properties.
Upcoming projects include:
- Rice Lake Plains Natural Area, to foster the return of native grasses and wildflowers, along with native species including grassland birds and insects,
- Alfred Bogin the Ottawa Valley, to protect wetlands in the largest high-quality bog in Southern Ontario,
- Saugeen Bruce Peninsula Natural Area, to conserve some of the richest biodiversity in the Great Lakes area, and
- Frontenac Arch, to protect one of the most important forest corridors in North America.
“Through this partnership, we are helping to ensure the province’s natural areas remain a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation and a vital resource that cleans the air we breathe and the water we drink,” said Mike Hendren, regional vice president Ontario, Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Ontario is home to over 11 million hectares of protected areas, or 10.7 per cent of the province. Funding for this initiative was a commitment outlined in the province’s 2020 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protect, Support, Recover.