Nearly 10,000 hectares of privately held Acadian forest, coastline and dunes in New Brunswick will be recognized as another effective area-based conservation measure (OECM), thanks to the visionary leadership of J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI).
The initiative was shared during an event hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) where global experts profiled emerging conservation solutions, presenting leadership and investment opportunities to accelerate the nature agenda.
This announcement by JDI is a concrete example of a whole-of-society approach to accelerating conservation. The lands held by Saint John-based JDI boast a variety of ecosystems, which provide habitat for animals like pine marten and endangered piping plover.
These lands represent some of the province’s most unique and biodiverse areas, including the Irving Nature Park in west Saint John, Bouctouche Dunes, Ayers Lake and the headwaters of the Miramichi and Restigouche rivers. The lands have been managed with the intent of long-term conservation through the company’s voluntary conservation areas program for the last 20 years.
JDI’s lands will be recognized in the Government of Canada’s Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database, as other effective area-based conservation measures. OECMs are areas that provide conservation benefits but are not managed primarily for the protection of nature. These areas can be governed by private individuals or organizations, Indigenous and local communities, or governments. This internationally recognized tool plays a key role in helping achieve Canada’s ambition of protecting 30 per cent of its lands and waters by 2030.
more at: https://www.jdirving.com/en/newsroom/NCC-salutes-innovative-leadership-for-nature/