The grant to the Nature Conservancy of Canada is spread over five years and the new conservation program is divided into four components. (Photo: The Canadian Press)

The Quebec government is awarding $144.1 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (CNC) to improve the network of private protected areas in southern Quebec, The Canadian Press has learned.

This “unprecedented investment” aims to protect ecological connectivity corridors in 11 regions of Quebec, according to the Environment Ministry.

Ecological connectivity refers to the unhindered migration and movement of animals and plants through their environment.

The grant to CNC is spread over five years and the new conservation program is divided into four components.

More than $100 million will be used to “financially support projects aimed at creating protected areas and preserving interesting natural areas, particularly through the acquisition of private land.”

Nearly $9 million will be allocated to “projects to acquire knowledge or awareness of natural environments of interest with a view to possible acquisition for conservation purposes.”

In addition, $870,000 will be allocated to support and support landowners who wish to convert their land into a nature reserve and $34 million will be used to manage and manage partnerships.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the Partnership Project for Natural Environments (PPMN), in which the government has invested more than $53 million, has enabled the support of around a hundred land acquisition projects dedicated to the conversation since 2020.

Stephane Blais, The Canadian Press