Wetland conservation within the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority watershed is getting a $125,000 boost from the Ontario government.
Part of the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program, the funding will be used to assist private landowners to restore and/or enhance wetlands on their properties. It’s part of an $11-million investment by the province to facilitate Ontario wetland projects in 2024.
Over the past five years, Ontario has invested more than $30 million to support a wide range of initiatives, restoring and improving large-scale wetlands, developing smaller wetlands on marginal agricultural lands, and improving wetlands in more urban areas as part of municipal stormwater management.
Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones said the investment, including the Landowner Wetland Restorations and Enhancements for the Lake Erie, underscores Ontario’s commitment to protecting critical wetland ecosystems.
“By supporting a wide range of projects – from large scale restorations to urban stormwater management – we are ensuring these vital natural resources are preserved for future generations,” Jones said in a media release.
Over the durations of the program, some 7,500 acres of wetlands have been improved across the province and a total of $6 million of potential flooding has been averted. A total of 170 green jobs have been created in rural and near-urban communities in the restoration work.
