Municipalities in Ontario supporting national targets

“At Ontario Nature, protected areas are near and dear to our hearts,” said Jenna Kip, Protected Places Assessment Coordinator with Ontario Nature. “We’re keen to help support Canada’s 30 by 30 goal and we know that municipalities, conservation authorities and other conservation land stewards have an important role to play.”

Locally protected and conserved areas help contribute to a rich and diverse conservation network, representing Canada’s varied landscapes. They not only move us closer to Canada's target, but also help provide a more holistic and realistic picture of the network of conserved lands and waters across the country.

A local park may seem small and inconsequential in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, but together, these greenspaces work to create a network of protected areas in urban and near-urban settings that are a crucial part of the solution.

To date, Ontario Nature’s cumulative efforts have resulted in almost 10,000 hectares being entered into the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database, which is Canada’s progress marker for the 30% by 2030 target. That number is impressive on its own, but when you consider most of these areas are within the Greater Golden Horseshoe region—the most densely populated area in Ontario, where biodiversity is most endangered—it’s especially worth celebrating.

One of the frontrunners among their municipal partners has been the City of Toronto. They’ve already contributed 22 city parks and natural areas, representing more than 1,400 hectares.

“This shows that municipal efforts in a large urban centre can make important contributions to a larger natural system,” said Kim Statham, Director, Urban Forestry, City of Toronto. “We are proud to see that our ongoing commitment to protecting and managing Toronto's natural areas is being recognized.”

Ontario Nature has also been working closely with other municipal partners, including Northumberland County, and the city of Kitchener, to name a few. There’s already lots of great work happening at the local level, and Ontario Nature hopes it will inspire other municipalities, conservation authorities and landowners—in Ontario and across Canada—to realize they can help too.

“Collective effort is going to be critical to hitting this target,” said Sarah Hasenack, Conservation Planning Coordinator with Ontario Nature. “No one level of government can do this on its own. Everyone must come together, displaying leadership in their own area of influence, as a group.”

Every protected area is important for the conservation of biodiversity—no matter the size—and every jurisdiction can make a difference. Thanks to many dedicated partners working together, like Ontario Nature and the City of Toronto, Canada is continuing to make real progress toward our domestic and international conservation goals.