Partnership for Natural Infrastructure in Ontario

“DUC helped launch the Wetlands Conservation Partner Program in 2021 and has continued leading restoration projects to improve the health of wetlands in Ontario ever since. We’re proud to be supporting on-the-ground wetlands projects run by partners like DUC to ensure vital water resources and ecosystems are protected, now and in the future.” – David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

The  Wetlands Conservation Partner Program  (2020-2025) commits $30 million to create and restore wetlands in Great Lakes watersheds. The projects completed in the Great Lakes region include both newly restored wetlands and restoration projects for permanent wetlands that were ready for habitat improvements to enhance function, ecology and longevity.

The program scales up  longstanding conservation partnerships  that contribute to biodiversity, climate resiliency and green jobs in Ontario’s rural and near-urban communities. Conservation projects also create jobs for engineers, biologists, field specialists and local businesses hired for construction, fabrication and maintenance contracts.

The Wetlands Conservation Partner Program (WCPP) projects include:

• small, newly restored wetlands
• restoration for large, permanent wetland projects

Decades of teamwork and mutual respect have helped DUC deliver thousands of wetland restoration projects across the province since 1974. Demand for wetland restoration is at an all-time high as landowners of all kinds connect healthy landscapes with clean water and flood management for their communities.

DUC’s ability to deliver large-scale environmental programs is thanks to the strong network of trusted partners, suppliers and landowners we’ve created over the years, including municipalities, stewardship volunteers and conservation authorities. These local relationships help us identify and realize conservation opportunities across the province.

The Government of Ontario committed $1.8 million to DUC for wetland restoration in 2023. DUC’s Ontario conservation team completed 40 wetland projects, enhancing 20 existing wetlands and creating another 20 new wetlands to the landscape across the province. The DUC wetlands add 339 hectares, (838 acres) of restored natural infrastructure in the Lake Ontario and Lake Erie watersheds, as well as their connecting waterways. All will improve water quality, provide habitat for at-risk species, and increase climate change resiliency in communities across Ontario. 

Discover 4 featured wetland restoration projects on the interactive map using the locator dots.👇🏼

The Government of Ontario committed $2 million to DUC for wetland restoration in 2022. DUC’s Ontario conservation team completed 45 wetland conservation projects as part of the WCPP in 2022, adding almost 570 hectares of restored natural infrastructure in the watersheds of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and their connecting waterways.

Discover 8 featured wetland restoration projects on the interactive map using the orange locator dots. 👇🏼

The Government of Ontario committed $6 million to DUC for wetland restoration in 2021.  As part of a record year in the province  for DUC, the Ontario conservation team completed 60 wetland conservation projects.

The projects accelerated the existing habitat restoration program with nearly 1,000 hectares of natural infrastructure in the watersheds of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and their connecting waterways.

Discover 12 featured wetland restoration projects on the interactive map below using the blue locator dots or scrolling through the map stories. 👇🏼

Ducks Unlimited Canada is the national leader in wetland conservation. Since 1974, we’ve worked in Ontario to conserve 1 million acres of wetlands and adjacent habitat such as grassland, forest or other upland habitats.

 Wetlands are hard-working ecosystems  that deliver cleaner water, capture carbon and nutrients, and preserve and increase habitats for endangered species, all while providing natural climate buffers for Ontario communities.

Wetlands are vital to the long-term health and prosperity of communities. The more we learn about the versatility of these powerful ecosystems, the more we value them for their roles in climate resilience—alongside the built infrastructure we see all around us for transportation, communications and stormwater management.

We are uniquely positioned to provide large-scale, science-based wetland restoration in Ontario. That’s why we seek to reverse the downward trend of loss and turn it around to a net gain on the landscape that contributes to both climate resiliency and green jobs in Ontario’s rural and near-urban communities.  ducks.ca/ontario 

Top image: Restorations bring new life to the water-level controls and are an opportunity to enhance wetland functions and ecology. © Resilient Corp