Over 2,600 hectares of municipal public lands recognized as protected areas
Conservation organizations, municipalities and government partners protect natural habitats for the benefit of communities and biodiversity
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Stewardship Association of Municipalities (SAM) are working together on a unique land conservation initiative. The partnership will result in the formal recognition of natural areas within municipalities as conservation areas critical for the protection of biodiversity.
A total 2,621 hectares of public land across Newfoundland and Labrador are now officially recognized as protected areas. Municipalities participating in the first phase of the project include Indian Bay (1,151 hectares), Corner Brook (609 hectares), Elliston (431 hectares) and Whitbourne (430 hectares).
These natural areas are now recognized by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as protected areas and are included in the national database of protected and conserved areas. They will count toward the Government of Canada’s commitment and target to protect and conserve 30 per cent of the country’s lands and waters by 2030 (also known as 30x30). As a trusted delivery partner, NCC is committed to working in collaboration with the Government of Canada and other partners to meet this target.
Some of the newly recognized areas contain boreal forest, wetlands, scree, coastal habitat, important habitat for species at risk, and many are valued areas for recreational activities, such as hiking.
This project is being supported financially by Environment and Climate Change Canada, through the Canada Nature Fund, with in-kind support from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Policy, Planning and Natural Areas Division - Department of Environment and Climate Change.
This initiative emerged out of a shared desire among the partners to directly engage local communities in the global effort to reduce biodiversity loss through conservation action, and to celebrate the work of municipalities within the conservation space. The process included a collaborative assessment of land management practices, which municipalities are enacting through their planning process, and the signing of stewardship agreements with the provincial government. NCC and SAM led the process of contacting municipalities, conducting the assessments and recommending formal recognition.
This project now hopes to expand to new municipal partners. Both SAM and NCC are currently working to guide additional communities through the process of having areas such as protected public water supplies, valued natural and heritage zones, and areas under municipal stewardship agreements gain formal recognition as protected and conservation areas. Municipalities interested in getting involved or learning more about this project can contact Heather Baehre, NCC’s NL conservation coordinator at heather.baehre@natureconservancy.ca.
Quotes
“The Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Stewardship Association of Municipalities, Inc. are helping to protect local green spaces across Newfoundland and Labrador. By working with trusted partners and collaborating across all levels of government, we are conserving important wildlife habitat. These areas help biodiversity and are now formally recognized as protected areas within Canada’s conservation network. Through the Canada Nature Fund, we are making progress in our response to climate change and biodiversity loss and supporting Canada’s efforts to conserve 30 percent of land and water by 2030.” – The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“Congratulations to the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador’s Stewardship Association of Municipalities on this significant new partnership for land protection. We value the importance of preserving the biodiversity of our province’s coastlines, forests, and wetlands and expanding protected areas in Newfoundland and Labrador. Both are significant measures towards the goals of addressing a changing climate and reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.” – The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Newfoundland and Labrador
“Many municipalities in the province have been effectively managing intact natural areas for conservation over the long-term and working to ensure that future generations will experience the natural world as we have experienced it. So far, these efforts have gone without much formal recognition. This project provides an opportunity to champion these municipalities and have their work acknowledged. The Stewardship Association of Municipalities Inc. has been an invaluable project partner because of their long-standing history of conservation work and for celebrating stewardship in communities across Newfoundland and Labrador since 1999.” – Heather Baehre, Conservation Coordinator, NCC
“SAM is pleased to be working alongside the Nature Conservancy of Canada on this project, in partnership with the NL Provincial Wildlife and Natural Areas Divisions. As a group, we are honouring and recognizing the significant conservation efforts of several municipalities who have made a strong public commitment to wildlife habitat protection. Thank you to all those municipalities who have demonstrated such impressive leadership in supporting conservation, and who continue to make important decisions about our future.” – Zachary Burrows, Executive Director, Stewardship Association of Municipalities Inc.
"In Whitbourne, we are proud of the commitment we made in 1993. It is important to our community to be leaders in environmental stewardship and have the efforts of municipalities across Newfoundland and Labrador recognized on a larger scale." – Mayor Hilda Whelan, Town of Whitbourne
“We are so pleased to see the Wild Cove Fen conservation area, along with the north and south shores of the Humber River added to the list of protected land in our province. It is important to protect the rare ecology of our province. We appreciate the work staff put in to make this happen, in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and look forward to identifying more unique areas in Corner Brook’s boundaries we can conserve for generations to come.” – Mayor Jim Parsons, City of Corner Brook
"The Municipality of Indian Bay committed to the conservation of its important wildlife habitat in 2016 and is thrilled to have the Indian Bay Brook Management Unit recognized on a national level and included in national and international conservation targets." – Mayor Christa Lane, Municipality of Indian Bay
Facts
- Canada’s network of protected and conserved areas is important to mitigating the impacts of climate change by protecting healthy, resilient ecosystems and contributing to the recovery of species at risk.
- Municipalities across Canada are engaging on the topic of whether areas under their management should be counted toward Canada’s conservation targets. In many provinces, NCC is working with municipal governments to assess land management practices using a set of pan-Canadian criteria.
About
Stewardship Association of Municipalities Inc.
The Stewardship Association of Municipalities Inc. (SAM) is an incorporated non-profit environmental organization composed of a network of municipalities who have formally committed to the practice of environmental stewardship in Newfoundland and Labrador. The organization helps to secure, enhance and restore important wildlife habitat (wetlands, uplands, coastal areas, & species at risk habitat) within municipal planning boundaries. As a network of communities who practice environmental stewardship across Newfoundland and Labrador, SAM contributes to maintaining and enhancing biodiversity in the province. To learn more, visit www.samnl.org.
Contact:
Zachary Burrows, Executive Director of the Stewardship Association of Municipalities Inc.
E: samconservation@gmail.com
Nature Conservancy of Canada
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. As a trusted partner, NCC works with people, communities, businesses and government to protect and care for our country’s most important natural areas. Since 1962, NCC has brought people together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. In the Atlantic Provinces, NCC has protected 55,610 hectares. To learn more, visit natureconservancy.ca.
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