What is a Conservation Reserve?

A Conservation Reserve is a legal land use designation made under Ontario’s Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, 2006. These lands are protected primarily to maintain ecological integrity and conserve natural heritage values.

Once land is designated:

• It becomes provincially managed by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).

• A management direction is developed to determine which activities are permitted, restricted, or prohibited.

• The overarching goal is to keep the land in a natural state, meaning that recreational, commercial, and infrastructure uses may be limited, regulated, or subject to new approval processes.

• Mining, aggregate extraction, commercial forestry, and hydroelectric development are permanently banned under this designation. These rights are removed entirely from the land base.

• In some cases, access may be converted to pay-per-use, as seen in other managed lands across Ontario.

While certain traditional activities—like hiking, hunting, or snowmobiling—may be permitted, their continuation is not guaranteed. Whether they remain allowed depends entirely on provincial policy decisions and management priorities, not local customs, agreements, or community needs.

Most importantly, Conservation Reserves are permanent. Once the designation is approved, it cannot be reversed through municipal channels or local input.