Toronto, November 12, 2026– The Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) has received $4.6 million from the federal government in additional funds for conservation initiatives under OLTA’s Habitat Conservation Program to help Canada meet its goal of conserving 30 percent of its lands and waters by 2030. OLTA is pleased to announce its success in both collecting high-quality projects for review and disbursing funds effectively. In total, these funds have helped protect 879 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands and waters throughout Ontario.
This undertaking required intense coordination from the land trust community, as well as from the OLTA team. The funds provided by the Government of Canada were matched by an additional $7.4 million in matching contributions from participating land trusts.
Projects were carefully selected based on their high ecological value, their ability to support species at risk and their contribution to Canada’s 30 by 30 commitments. The twenty final projects that were selected to receive this funding are as follows:
- 9The Long Point Basin Land Trust’s Clear Creek and MapleCross Butterfly Sanctuary in Norfolk County;
- 9The Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust’s MapleCross Starritt Nature Reserve Near Port Hope;
- 9The Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy’s Alguire Nature Preserve in the North Bruce Peninsula, Boat Lake Nature Preserve in South Bruce, Wark Estate at Saugeen Shores and Smokehouse Island Conservation Easement Agreement near South Bruce;
- 9The Magnetawan Watershed Land Trust’s Polly’s Roost Nature Reserve in the Township of McMurrich near Parry Sound;
- 9 The Northumberland Land Trust’s Inscape Nature Reserve in Trent Hills;
- 9The Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust’s Aird Creek MapleCross Nature Reserve and MapleCross Newlands Nature Reserve in North Frontenac;
- 9The Thames Talbot Land Trust’s Eberhardt Farm in Perth East;
- 9The Georgian Bay Land Trust’s Payne-Meinig Nature Reserve, Grant Islands Nature Reserve and Birch Island Conservation Easement, all in the Township of Georgian Bay, and Carling Nature Corridor - Parcel 1 in the Township of Carling;
- 9The Bruce Trail Conservancy’s Talisman Forest Nature Reserve in Grey Highlands;
- 9And the Ontario Conservation Accelerator’s Crowe River in Marmora, Wilberforce in Haliburton and Big Swamp in Prince Edward County
“I am incredibly grateful for the effort and coordination of our membership and staff to achieve such a feat. Our membership is highly organized and effective at driving conservation efforts in Ontario, and we are proud to be able to demonstrate that here with the success of the Habitat Conservation Program. We are so grateful to the federal government for entrusting the Ontario Land Trust Alliance with these funds to make this work possible,” said Marketa Evans, Interim Executive Director of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance.
In the coming months, the Ontario Land Trust Alliance will continue to showcase and celebrate the land securements achieved through this incredible accomplishment. This feat would not have been possible without the generous support of the federal government.
Quotes
“Forests, wetlands, and other natural areas are essential to Canada’s biodiversity, providing critical habitat for species at risk and supporting healthy, resilient communities. Through this investment, we are supporting the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and its partners in their locally driven efforts to protect ecologically significant lands and help Canada reach its goal of conserving 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030. This collaboration demonstrates the important role that local conservation organizations play in protecting nature for future generations.”
-The Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature)
Canada’s natural landscapes provide lasting benefits for communities while supporting healthy ecosystems and biodiversity. The federal government is supporting projects that conserve and steward important natural areas across Ontario. Thanks to the leadership of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance and its partners, these efforts are helping protect ecologically significant lands and advance Canada’s commitment to conserve 30 percent of lands and waters by 2030.
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature
Media Contact
Samantha Mills,
Communications Manager (Greenlands)
The Ontario Land Trust Alliance
The Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) focuses on providing community, knowledge sharing and support to land trusts across Ontario. It empowers and supports highly effective, well-governed land trusts that engage their communities to protect forests, wetlands, nature, and water sources and provide natural climate solutions. OLTA builds capacity through training and educational programs, connecting land trusts, resources, and their communities, leading and supporting on-the-ground conservation work, sharing knowledge and best practices, reducing financial barriers to land conservation, promoting organizational excellence, providing access to current research and acting as a voice for land trusts among the public, governments, and other rightsholders.
OLTA’s impact is Ontario-wide through 57 connected charities and communities. OLTA’s local land trust members currently collectively own and steward over 2,000 natural areas and green spaces across Ontario, with the leadership of thousands of supporters and volunteers annually. To support your local land trust, visit: www.OLTA.ca.
About Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canada Nature Fund
The Canada Nature Fund has supported the protection of Canada’s biodiversity through the creation of protected and conserved areas and through initiatives that help recover species at risk.