Conservation Reserves

(excerpt from the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006)

Objectives: conservation reserves

• To permanently protect representative ecosystems, biodiversity and provincially significant elements of Ontario’s natural and cultural heritage and to manage these areas to ensure that ecological integrity is maintained.
• To provide opportunities for ecologically sustainable land uses, including traditional outdoor heritage activities and associated economic benefits.
• To facilitate scientific research and to provide points of reference to support monitoring of ecological change on the broader landscape.

Conservation Reserve vs. Provincial Park

Conservation reserves are established to protect natural heritage areas and natural features on public land, while preserving traditional public land uses. The conservation reserve was created as a protected area designation in 1994 during the Keep it Wild campaign. Between 1995 and 1998, 29 conservation reserves encompassing 63,867 hectares were established. One site, the Torrance Barrens Conservation Reserve, was designated by the MNR in 1999 as the first Dark Sky Reserve in Canada. Since the Ontario Government’s program between 1997-99, which culminated in the Ontario Living Legacy Land Use Strategy, 292 conservation reserves (encompassing 1,495,382 hectares) have been regulated. Conservation reserves complement the provincial parks system by protecting important representative areas of the province. They differ from Provincial Parks because they allow a greater variety of traditional local uses while maintaining a focus on protection and ecological integrity.

• Conservation Reserve Management Direction Documents