TORONTO - The province is spending $5 million to buy and protect land, particularly in southern Ontario around the Great Lakes, Minister of Natural Resources David Ramsay said Wednesday.
The government is partnering with a number of agencies -- including Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance -- that will match the province's funding.
The money will help buy land in southern Ontario, where 97 per cent is privately owned, Ramsay said.
"Yet that's where a lot of the pressures are,'' Ramsay said. "That's where most of our endangered species are. That's where most habitat is at risk because of development.''
Once it's bought for conservation, Ramsay said the land can be used for hiking trails or just left alone to preserve wildlife habitats.
Ron Maher, manager at Ducks Unlimited, said the organization appreciates the increased cash this year because it helps them buy threatened land in southern Ontario where property values are higher.
"The cost per acre is higher than in areas that aren't as threatened,'' he said. "It takes a fair amount of money to ensure that they'll be there forever.''
But Gillian McEachern, with ForestEthics, said this focus on southern Ontario is hurting northern Ontario, where land and wildlife are equally at risk.
The province should do a better job of protecting its boreal forest, which is home to the endangered woodland caribou but is being used for logging, she said. The land is owned by the province and doesn't need to be bought up, she added.
"Over the last four years, not a single acre has been protected,'' McEachern said. "Although this step today is a good step forward for protecting lands in southern Ontario, we're interested in seeing action on protecting lands in the north.''
