Overview
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are bound together by our shared love of nature. Protected areas serve a crucial purpose in conserving the biodiversity of our province and maintaining our cultural, spiritual and recreational connections to the land.
The Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council (WERAC) is a council of volunteers that advises the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on the establishment and management of wilderness and ecological reserves.
The Provincial Government has asked WERAC to engage the public on ten new protected areas and make recommendations on whether to proceed with interim protections on the sites.
Between 2023 and 2026, WERAC is carrying out a series of engagement initiatives for ten proposed protected areas. These areas include nine sites described in the Home For Nature report: Ripple Pond; Halls Gullies; Cape Norman; Watts Point Extension; Facheaux Bay; Conne River North; Stony Lake; Rodney Pond; and Cape St. George; and a tenth publicly proposed site, Indian Arm Brook. For more details on these and other proposed sites, visit the Environment and Climate Change website.
This page provides a summary of opportunities for the public to comment on proposed ecological reserves on the Island of Newfoundland. Links to current engagement pages and events for each proposed site are included below. More engagement opportunities and events will be added over time.
Public Engagements
Your voice is important to this conversation. Please click on the proposed ecological reserve engagement button below to see more details about how you can participate. Pages will be added as each proposed ecological reserve begins the engagement process.