The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) developed a Conservation Area Strategy (CA Strategy) focused on sustainable management, long-term planning, and alignment with NPCA's strategic goals, ensuring compliance with the Conservation Authorities Act.

The CA Strategy provides high-level guidance for managing NPCA conservation areas, focusing on biodiversity, climate change, invasive species, and greenspace accessibility, with specific site priorities to be outlined in future management and action plans starting in 2025.

As you read through the strategy, you will learn about programs and services and the land use classifications that will inform the general purpose for each conservation area. The CA Strategy also explores how NPCA’s conservation area system augments local or regional natural heritage features and how they connect to local public lands.

Through the CA Strategy, NPCA conservation areas were grouped into three categories:

• Active Recreation (4)
• Passive Recreation (16)
• Natural Heritage & Hazard Lands (21)

The following goals will provide direction for management and long-term planning for conservation areas:

• Protect and Restore
• Connect and Enhance
• Adapt and Sustain
• Inspire and Engage

The NPCA is working on a number of management plans aimed at preserving and enhancing local natural spaces. These plans are designed to ensure that each area is managed sustainably, balancing environmental conservation with public enjoyment.

By focusing on the unique characteristics of each conservation area, NPCA is committed to safeguarding these vital natural assets for future generations while providing meaningful opportunities for people to connect with nature.

Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved in the following management plans:

• Beamer Memorial
• Woodend 
• Morgan's Point
• Binbrook 
• Cave Springs 
• Rockway
• Woodend
• Wainfleet Wetlands

NPCA has an increasingly important role in the acquisition and securement of lands for the purpose of conserving and restoring natural areas and greenspaces. NPCA has been acquiring lands since the late 1950s and to date has secured 41 properties totaling approximately 3,000 hectares.

Natural heritage and natural green infrastructure provide services and benefits that are integral to sustaining life for people and wildlife, such as providing access to local greenspace, clean air and water, and protection from natural hazards like flooding and erosion. Since the majority of lands containing such unique natural features are found on private property, collaborating with landowners is vital for their long-term protection.

Although often used interchangeably, ‘land acquisition’ and ‘land securement’ have important differences. Land acquisition refers to the purchase of land that may, at some point, be deemed a disposable asset by the public, non-profit funding partner, or land donor or seller. Land securement refers to the legal purchase of natural areas with the intent to maintain, protect, and/or restore those natural features using a variety of methods to facilitate effective and permanent protection outlined in the Land Securement Strategy.

The Land Securement Strategy (LSS) is designed to complement other land and water conservation programs that are offered by NPCA. This document outlines a clear path to increase land securement effectively and notably within the Niagara Peninsula watershed.

The LSS assists NPCA in identifying and prioritizing lands of conservation importance, building relationships with potential land donors or sellers, and facilitating successful and long-term protection of these lands in perpetuity.