Ontario conservation deal protects a landscape larger than Toronto

More than 81,400 hectares of forests and peatlands in northern Ontario, Canada, have been secured for conservation, protecting an area about 1.3 times the size of Toronto from logging and other development.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada purchased the land south of Kapuskasing through a C$64 million project supported by governments, businesses, foundations and private donors. Federal funding of more than C$13 million was announced on October 13, with Ontario contributing C$2 million. According to the federal environment minister’s office, the previous owner’s decision to sell had created a risk that the land would be developed or harvested for timber.

The landscape already stores more than 30 million tonnes of carbon, the federal government says. Conserving it helps safeguard that existing store while protecting wildlife habitat. Birds benefiting include the red-headed woodpecker and bobolink, both identified as species at risk, as well as the Canada warbler and olive-sided flycatcher.

The purchase contributes to Canada’s goal of protecting 30% of its lands and waters by 2030. It also expands the conservancy’s work in northern Ontario, where the organization says it now conserves more than 230,000 hectares.