The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA), working with Ontario Nature, announced late last week that an additional 97 hectares of land owned by the NPCA has been recognized as “protected” under the federal government’s 30×30 initiative.
With this latest announcement, the NPCA has contributed about 2,000 hectares of protected land toward Canada’s national target. Canada’s 30×30 goal seeks to protect and conserve 30 per cent of the country’s lands and waters by 2030. The approach is part of a global effort to try to stop and reverse biodiversity loss.
The commitment itself was made by the federal government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau back in 2022. Nearly 200 countries signed onto the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15.
A total of four new properties were added by the NPCA in its latest round of conservation efforts. This includes a property donated by the Kala family in West Lincoln. This property is an undisturbed parcel within the St. Anns Slough Forest Provincially Significant Wetland Complex and Life Science Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.
The four properties were acquired by the NPCA last year through $1.55 million from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Priority Places fund.
According to the NPCA, the newly added properties, including the one in West Lincoln, now count toward the 11.2 per cent of Ontario that is currently recognized as “protected.”
“Protecting natural areas requires strong partnerships and a long-term vision,” said Leilani Lee-Yates, CAO and Secretary-Treasurer of the NPCA. “These additions further strengthen some of the most ecologically important landscapes in the Niagara Peninsula watershed and demonstrate what can be achieved when governments, conservation organizations, and landowners work together toward a shared goal.”
“Today, every hectare becomes part of a larger conservation legacy that we are establishing together.”
Julie Dabrusin, federal Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature, also released a statement to mark the occasion.
“Protecting nature and reversing biodiversity loss requires strong partnerships and local leadership,” said Dabrusin. “The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s work demonstrates how meaningful progress happens on the ground. These newly recognized protected areas strengthen the ecological health of the Niagara Peninsula and contribute to Canada’s commitment to conserve 30 per cent of our lands and waters by 2030.”
“I want to thank NPCA and Ontario Nature whose dedication is helping safeguard these important natural spaces,” Dabrusin added.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
