The Greenbelt
Overview
Ottawa’s National Capital Greenbelt, a much-loved crescent of forests, fields, and wetlands that surrounds Canada’s capital city, which is located on unceded Algonquin lands. It was established in the 1950s and is majorly owned by the National Capital Commission (NCC).Spanning over 20,000 hectares, the Greenbelt is rich in biodiversity and is made up of important ecosystems such as forests, alvars, sand dunes and peat bogs. The protection of the Greenbelt is crucial given the roles it plays in our community and environment.The Greenbelt provides crucial habitat for some 60 at-risk species, it provides farmland that helps to feed the Ottawa Valley region, and it allows a space for people to connect with nature just outside of the city.Unfortunately, the National Capital Greenbelt is largely unprotected and is therefore under threat of disturbance from roadways and urban and industrial development. CPAWS-OV is working hard to seek National Urban Park status for the Greenbelt for its protection
What we are doing about it
CPAWS-OV has been working tirelessly with the help of collaborators like National Capital Greenbelt Committee members Paul Lemoine and Kris Nanda, to get signatures and submit an environmental petition to the House of Commons which seeks National Urban Park (NUP) status for the National Capital Greenbelt.
This petition, which garnered hundreds of signatures, was submitted in 2022 along with a series of questions about the Federal Government’s intentions to create a NUP in the Greenbelt. If you are interested in reading these questions and the answers that we were given, click the button below.
The National Capital Greenbelt contains a 7,700 - year - old internationall y recognized wetland called the Mer Bleue Bog.
This 7,700-year-old bog not only provides a safe haven for regionally rare plants and birds, but also supports wildlife you typically primarily find within northern boreal bogs. At Mer Bleue, you’ll spot muskrat, mink, cottontail and snowshoe hare, white-tailed deer, moose, and more.Mer Bleue is also recognized across Canada and internationally for its role in mitigating climate change under the following designations:
- A wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
- A provincially significant wetland
- A provincially significant life and earth science area of natural and scientific interest
The Greenbelt is a fragile ecosystem providing vital climate action for our communities and species at risk. A 1.5°C increase in global average temperatures will put up to 30%of the world’s species at risk of extinction–and Canada has already experienced a1.7°C increase. Mer Bleue provides a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to experience a northern boreal landscape within minutes of downtown Ottawa while supporting climate action for animals and communities alike.
The Greenbelt feeds your family!
As our world’s population increases, so does our communities’ need for food. Over the next30years, experts predict a need to increase food production by at least 70%.The Greenbelt can help curb food insecurity across the Ottawa Valley. Around 5,000 hectares of the Greenbelt is leased to farmers. Practicing sustainable agriculture in a near-urbansetting means these farms can play a critical role in feeding your family. With nearly 1.5 million people living in the Ottawa Valley, and this number expected to rise, the Greenbelt can alleviate food insecurity through its vibrant farming sector.
Read our comments on the proposed Brian Coburn Boulevard extension across the Greenbelt near Mer Bleue.
Read the NCC’s Greenbelt Master Plan.