Biodiversity Boreal Climate change Conservation planning Freshwater Indigenous partnerships Natural resource development Peatlands

The National Peatland Strategy: Implementation Opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador

Goodday, V., Tanguay, L., Radatus-Smith, N. & Harris, L

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To facilitate uptake of the National Peatland Strategy, opportunities for implementation at the federal level and in each province and territory have been identified. This document outlines opportunities for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Key points

• Canada’s peatlands are of global importance, storing over 150 billion tonnes of carbon.
• Canada's provinces and territories have the primary responsibility for properly stewarding these climate-critical ecosystems.
• Top opportunities for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to achieve better outcomes for peatlands, and the communities and ecosystems that rely on them, include:
  • Strengthening the Policy for Development in Wetlands (2001), the provincial climate plan, and the province’s protected and conserved areas network to better reflect the essential and irreplaceable values of peatlands.
  • Establishing a comprehensive wetland inventory and assessing carbon services in wetland evaluation processes.
  • Providing support and training to key groups involved in peatland protection and stewardship, including Indigenous land guardians.
  • Accounting for the essential and irreplaceable values of undisturbed peatlands in land-use planning and decision-making.

The full strategy is available in both English and French.

Recommended citation

Goodday, V., Tanguay, L., Radatus-Smith, N. & Harris, L (2025). The National Peatland Strategy: Implementation Opportunities for Newfoundland and Labrador. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]. https://doi.org/10.19121/2025.Report.52386.p07.en