Protecting the Boreal Forest
A rare opportunity to expand one of Canada's most important natural landscapes
Boreal Wildlands, ON (Photo by NCC)
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is building on the success of its 2022 Boreal Wildlands project by advancing a new conservation initiative in Canada’s boreal forest. Thanks to the support of businesses, foundations, the governments of Ontario and Canada, and hundreds of private donors in 2022, NCC protected 145,000 hectares of boreal forest, wetlands, rivers and creeks in northern Ontario — the single-largest private land conservation project in Canadian history. This achievement reflects the leadership of Canadians who believe in protecting the lands and waters that sustain us all.
The impact of this large-scale project is profound and now we have an opportunity to expand its benefits even further by protecting more of the lands that provide clean water, climate stability and community well-being. NCC has the opportunity to protect an additional 90,000 hectares in northern Ontario, through a new project called Taiga Forest and Peatlands.
The time to act is now. To protect Taiga Forest and Peatlands, NCC must secure the remaining funding. NCC is inviting Canadians to donate to this rare, time sensitive opportunity to conserve more of the boreal forest with a $70-million fundraising campaign.
The boreal forest, together with its peatlands and soils, is the largest terrestrial carbon storehouse on the planet. Its deep peatlands capture and store carbon at the highest rates of any northern ecosystem and it provides habitat for countless species of plants and animals. It also delivers essential benefits for people, including clean drinking water and natural flood protection resulting in more resilient northern communities.
Your gift towards boreal forest conservation will:
- Protect a vast expanse of Canada’s boreal forest, keeping carbon in the ground and safeguarding freshwater systems.
- Conserve and steward an additional 90,000 hectares of newly protected lands and waters, strengthening connectivity and enhancing vital ecological corridors — intact areas that allow wildlife to move across the landscape.
- Safeguard habitat for plants and wide-ranging mammals like wolf, lynx, moose, black bear and threatened caribou.
- Preserve critical breeding grounds for hundreds of migratory bird species.
This is a rare moment to protect one of Canada’s greatest natural assets – forever.
Join us in expanding conservation of the boreal forest and securing a legacy that will benefit communities, wildlife and the planet for generations.
To discuss donation options contact Dana Kleniewski at 416-797-6172 or at dana.kleniewski@natureconservancy.ca.
At NCC, we acknowledge that the work we do across the country is on the Traditional Territories of many Indigenous Peoples. The Boreal Wildlands project is within Treaty 9 (James Bay Treaty) and is both the traditional and current homelands of many Indigenous Nations and communities. NCC is working to build meaningful, respectful and long-term relationships with local Indigenous communities that acknowledge and support the rights and connections of Indigenous Peoples to these lands.
A natural legacy
Moose and her calf (Photo courtesy of Wild for Wildlife and Nature)
When it comes to conserving Canada’s most important natural areas, acquiring land is just the beginning. Stewardship — managing the land for the long term — is at the heart of what we do. Each and every property we protect is monitored and managed so that the ecosystems are maintained and species thrive, even if that means leaving them be. This can include mapping and removing invasive species or restoring wetlands, grasslands and forests. It can also mean monitoring for species at risk, planting native species, building trails or installing signage.
To continue to care for the natural areas we protect, NCC has created a Stewardship Endowment Fund. This fund provides annual support for our priority stewardship work across Ontario. Annual benefits from the endowment fund are used to pay the costs necessary to ensure efficient and long-term, science-based management of lands under NCC’s care. NCC may explore and/or create carbon market-based mechanisms on new projects, like Boreal Wildlands, to help fund our conservation work.
NCC may direct all or a portion of gifts committed to this project to NCC’s Stewardship Endowment Fund for Ontario. Revenue generated by the Stewardship Endowment Fund provides support for long-term management on properties across the province, including NCC conservation lands in the Boreal Wildlands. In the event that this project becomes fully funded or cannot be carried out, your gift will be allocated to the next urgent priority in the boreal forest.
Donations may be made by cheque, stock transfer or credit card through this link. Cheques should be made payable to “Nature Conservancy of Canada” and mailed to 1501-365 Bloor Street E, Toronto, ON M4W 3L4. Please indicate either in the memo portion of your cheque or in a note accompanying your donation that your gift is for “Boreal Forest.” If a U.S. tax deduction could be more advantageous, NCC works in partnership with a registered U.S. charity (American Friends of Canadian Nature) and we would be pleased to explore options with you.