Land Conservation Strategy

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 (2) ways that residents can get involved and have their say on the Land Conservation Strategy:

1. Attend a Community Mapping Session: MODL is hosting three (3) in-person Community Mapping Sessions throughout the municipality (See the ‘Important Dates’ section on the righthand side of your screen for the date, location, and time of each mapping session). Each mapping session will begin with a presentation to provide information about the Land Conservation Strategy project and will end with a mapping activity to allow participants to mark areas that are important to them within the municipality on a physical map. A virtual version of the map that residents can add to is also available at the bottom of this webpage under the ‘Map’ tab.

   
   

2. Fill out the survey (online or paper): An online survey with questions about how people use natural spaces in MODL can be found at the bottom of this webpage under the ‘Surveys’ tab. Residents can also fill out a paper copy of the survey at one of the Community Mapping Sessions or can pick up a paper copy at the municipal office at 10 Allée Champlain Drive, Cookville.

Note: The survey will close on Friday November 28, 2025, at 5PM. Paper copies of the survey must be returned to either a municipal staff member at one of the Community Mapping Sessions or to the municipal office before the closing date for responses to be considered.