Ontario's Greenbelt in an International Context – 3.36 MB

Greenbelts are land-use tools that have been used for decades in jurisdictions around the world as a means to protect farmland, natural features, biodiversity, local water-quality and quantity, and provide natural recreation areas for nearby urban centres. This report, produced in collaboration with the Canadian Institute for Environmental Law and Policy, documents the experiences of nine greenbelts and greenbelt-like regions around the globe, and identifies lessons-learned from them.

Greenbelts are living, working landscapes. It is important to provide support to greenbelt farmers to ensure farm viability, to rehabilitate and enhance degraded natural areas, and to ensure that the public understands what these important landscapes are, the benefits they provide, and how to connect with them.

While Ontario's Greenbelt was only five years old at the time of writing, this report found that it is the strongest in the world for its supporting laws and policies, and level of political commitment. This is reaffirmed by the existence of an arms-length Greenbelt Foundation and Greenbelt Council, in the diversity of economic, environmental, and social benefits provided by the Greenbelt, and, importantly, in a vocally-supportive public. In order to continue the success of Ontario's Greenbelt on the global stage, it requires continued support from all levels of government, sectors, and the broader public.

While all efforts are made to ensure the content of the Occasional Paper Series is current and accurate, the Greenbelt Foundation accepts no liability whatsoever in regard to the information contained herein.