When the Nature Conservancy of Canada set out in April to protect Boreal wildlands near Hearst covering twice the size of Toronto, it needed to raise $46-million. Large landscapes program director Kristyn Ferguson says it set a target of February, 2023.
“We still had a fundraising gap of $13-million,” she says. “So we’re so thrilled to be announcing this week that we’ve closed the gap, we’ve protected the property so these lands will be preserved forever.”
The money comes from both senior governments; Domtar, which reduced the asking price for the land; and hundreds of individuals, foundations and corporations.
By a factor of two, it’s the largest project ever undertaken by the Nature Conservancy.
“So it does give us the confidence that we can keep working at this pace and this scale, because this is what’s needed to get the world properly protected forever,” Ferguson states.
Largest among the concerns of the Conservancy are climate change and the loss of biodiversity.