Land Conservation Strategy

February 2026 Update

New Survey! Take the survey now!

A new survey is now open to gather perspectives on equity, community values, and access to nature. The survey is open until Sunday, February 22, 2026.

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (MODL) is developing a Land Conservation Strategy and wants to hear from you! The Strategy will guide how MODL identifies, stewards, and expands protected natural areas so that nature and people thrive, with a goal of conserving 20 percent of municipal lands by 2030.

What is a Land Conservation Strategy?

A Land Conservation Strategy is a roadmap that shows which natural places matter most and outlines the practical ways to look after them. MODL’s Land Conservation Strategy will combine local knowledge and ecological science to map high-priority areas and will outline various tools the municipality can use to protect land such purchasing or accepting donations of land, applying conservation easements, partnering with land trusts, entering stewardship agreements, and developing supportive land use policies.

MODL has hired CBCL Limited to help prepare its Land Conservation Strategy. The final document will include clear criteria that consider the ecological value of land along with its social, cultural, and community benefits. The Strategy will also outline practical ways MODL can conserve land and will describe implementation pathways with estimated costs and timelines so Council and residents can see how conservation actions go from being an idea to reality.

Clean Foundation’s Community Climate Capacity program team is assisting with public engagement to understand the cultural, historical, and social values related to conservation that matter to residents.

Why is MODL doing this?

During public engagement for the Local Climate Change Action Plan 2030 (LCCAP2030), residents told us that conserving nature is a top priority. People highlighted concerns around biodiversity loss and asked MODL to protect important habitats and to better manage its natural assets. Council responded by setting a 20 percent conservation goal by 2030 and, in early 2025, adopted a Land Conservation Policy to guide decision making.

On top of aligning with work the municipality is already doing to protect its natural landscapes, conserving nature supports clean water, flood and drought resilience, wildlife habitat, opportunities for walking and recreation, and cultural connections to land and water.

Why is MODL engaging the public?

MODL is engaging residents to ensure the Land Conservation Strategy reflects local priorities, lived experience, and the places people value. We want to understand the social, cultural, historical, and community benefits that land and water provide people across the municipality, alongside ecological science.

Municipal staff and Clean Foundation have developed an initial set of conservation criteria focused on the ecological value of land. With your input, we will expand these criteria to include the cultural, historical, and social values that matter to residents.

Your feedback will also inform our maps and scoring system. When you identify important places, that knowledge is combined with scientific data to refine how MODL ranks and selects high-priority areas for conservation. This helps ensure decisions are transparent, repeatable, and grounded in community insight and scientific evidence.

CBCL Limited will use the results of public engagement to help draft the Land Conservation Strategy.

How can I get involved?

There are two ways residents have been able to get involved in shaping the Land Conservation Strategy, and one way to participate now :

1. Community Mapping Sessions (completed):
   MODL hosted three in-person Community Mapping Sessions across the municipality. Each session included a presentation about the Land Conservation Strategy and a hands-on mapping activity where participants identified places that are important to them.

   Note: These sessions are now complete. Thank you to everyone who participated.

2. General Community Survey (closed):
   An online and paper survey about how people use natural spaces in MODL was available until Friday, December 5, 2025.
   Note: This survey and the associated online map are now closed. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.
   
   
3. New survey now open
   MODL has launched a new survey focused on equity, community values, and access to nature, to ensure that perspectives that are often underrepresented are reflected in the Land Conservation Strategy.
   The survey is open until Sunday, February 22, 2026.