The following principles help guide the activities and priorities of MNR’s land securement program:
- Conserve areas with significant biodiversity attributes and ecological functions that contribute to the long term environmental health and sustainability of Ontario.
- Conserve areas that create new or add to existing conservation lands such as provincial parks, conservation reserves, agency natural areas, conservation authority lands, federal parks, etc.
- Advance mutual objectives of the Ministry and its conservation partners.
- Conserve ecosystems that are representative of Ontario’s natural heritage regions.
- Protect provincially significant elements of Ontario’s natural and cultural heritage.
- Conserve areas that help to maintain Ontario’s biodiversity.
- Conserve areas that are part of a long term strategic and landscape level conservation plan.
- Work in partnership to secure specific properties in identified priority areas.
- Ensure government directives, securement procedures, environmental assessment and other legal requirements are adhered to.
- Develop memoranda of agreement with partners to ensure accountability.
Evaluation Criteria
MNR and its partners use the following criteria to guide land securement activities and decisions:
Ecological Considerations:
Properties
- Are within or adjacent to existing conservation lands or protected areas.
- Contribute to the conservation of natural heritage and biodiversity that are identified within a provincial, regional, or watershed plan or strategy developed by a recognized conservation organization.
- Contain provincially or regionally significant natural areas (e.g. Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest, wetlands).
- Contain habitat of species determined to be at risk as specified in a recovery plan or other biological study or conservation plan.
- Protect Species At Risk or ecological communities of ranked species
- Contain rare or under represented communities or habitats.
- Have high restoration potential and opportunities.
- Are designated as natural core, natural corridor, sensitive hydrological feature, regional recharge, regional discharge or significant landform within a broader plan area, strategy or guideline.
- Contribute to a provincial context, demonstrating a logical connection and/or contributing to ecological integrity of broader landscape.
- Have potential air quality and atmospheric benefits.
- Are subject to a degree of threat with respect to such things as development, land conversion, inappropriate management, incompatible land uses, etc.
- Are designated through a high level landscape approach or plan.
- Contribute to source water protection.
- Are designated within a municipal official plan or zoning by law under the Planning Act as an environmentally sensitive area, environmentally significant area, environmental protection area, natural heritage system, or other designation intended to conserve biodiversity or protect ecological features or functions as its primary objective.
- Are lands that an eligible organization clearly demonstrates contribute to the achievement of natural heritage protection objectives.
- Contain significant woodlots/forests protecting and enhancing significant woodlands, including large landscape, undisturbed woodlands, or with high afforestation potential or restoration of forest habitat.
Social and Economic Considerations:
Properties
- Have outdoor recreation and education opportunities.
- May provide economic benefits to local and/or provincial economy (e.g. recreation, tourism values).
- Contribute to public health and safety.
- Contain cultural heritage features, historic sites and Aboriginal community significance
- Support partnership activity with high leveraging and long term management support.
- Have a high level of community support.
- Demonstrate value for money and achievability of purchase.
- Provide opportunities for community engagement through stewardship and other volunteer activities.
