The federal government is providing Kawartha Land Trust with a $1.7 million over five years to help protect more than 2,000 acres of natural habitat in the central Ontario region.
The funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) will support Kawartha Land Trust’s “Sequestering Kawarthas’ Carbon Through Partners in Conservation” project. The financial support is via ECCC’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF), a $631-million, 10-year fund to support projects that restore and enhance wetlands and grasslands and capture carbon.
The project aims to protect carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) conversion by “inspiring landowner participation in protecting carbon on their lands” through a mix of short-term and permanent land protection options and the outright purchase and protection of land with high carbon storage value.
Kawartha Land Trust says the efforts will also enhance vital habitat for plant and animal species in the Kawarthas, including a number of species at risk.
Founded in 2001, Kawartha Lake Trust is a land conversation charity which protects 30 properties and more than 5,070 acres of land in the Kawarthas including 1,739 acres of wetland.
“We are so lucky in the Kawarthas to live where people have been caring for the land for generations, leaving a lasting natural legacy for today,” stated John Kintare, executive director of Kawartha Land Trust.
“The funding from ECCC’s NSCS fund will allow Kawartha Land Trust to reach out to key landowners across our landscape to help them understand the part their land plays in our local ecosystem. We will work with all who are willing to secure important carbon stores and enhance land management so that our local lands can have a global impact.”
Steven Guilbeault, federal minister of the environment and climate change, says Canada must contribute in the “global fight” to conserve and protect biodiversity.
“We are home to 24 percent of the world’s wetlands, 25 percent of temperate rainforest areas, and 28 percent of remaining boreal forests,” he said. “These ecosystems are globally significant as they absorb carbon, mitigate against the impacts of climate change, and protect biodiversity. But we won’t stop there. We wish to see the world adopt Canadians’ ambition on nature conservation, which is what will drive Canada’s position at the Nature COP in Montréal in December.”
Additional land protection
Kawartha Land Trust says it recently protected more than 200 additional acres of wetlands and forests in the Kawarthas thanks to the NDSCF. The newly protected land includes 154 acres in Kawartha Lakes and 58 acres in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township. Both properties include provincially significant wetlands (PSW) and the Kawartha Lakes property is noted as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI).
“The securement of these two properties ensures their natural features and important carbon storage capabilities will be protected from future development,” a release states.