Canada announced protection of more than 81,400 hectares of taiga forest and peatland south of Kapuskasing, Ontario, through a project led by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

The federal government is contributing more than C$13 million through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program. Contributions from federal and provincial governments, businesses, foundations and private donors bring the project’s reported total investment to C$64 million.

Federal estimates say the protected landscape currently stores more than 30 million tonnes of carbon and includes habitat for species at risk, including the red-headed woodpecker and bobolink.

The conservation announcement secures support for the landscape, but estimates of stored carbon are not the same as a forecast of newly avoided emissions. Long-term ecological outcomes will depend on land management, monitoring and conditions across the protected area.