Climate Change

Nature-based climate solutions are actions to conserve, sustainably manage and restore ecosystems which, in turn, help to:

• store and capture carbon,
• mitigate and reduce the impacts of climate change,
• build watershed resilience and improve water quality, and
• provide critical habitat for Canada’s wildlife.

Tree planting, habitat restoration and rehabilitation and land acquisition are examples of management practices that are nature-based activities.

Conservation Authorities work with a wide variety of partners to deliver programs around tree planting, water quality improvement, flood risk reduction, habitat rehabilitation and restoration as well as agricultural management practices, all of which helps to build local watershed resilience.

Conservation Ontario is currently working directly with 20 conservation authorities to deliver 81 projects from 2021 to 2025 that deliver on multiple nature-based solutions through funding granted from Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund for Place-based Actions (Environment and Climate Change Canada).

Projects take place on conservation authority-owned or managed lands as well as on private lands and will provide long-term agreements, ensuring lasting benefits.

Conservation Ontario is now accepting projects to be submitted to the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund for 2025-2031. Please contact Jenna Salvatore [jsalvatore@conservationontario.ca] for more information.