The Protected Landscape Approach - Centre for Mediterranean ...

14. Collaborative management of protected landscapes
Box 3.
The National Capital Greenbelt, Ottawa, Ontario
Urbanization is invariably seen as being in marked contrast to nature conservation and the establish -
ment of protected areas. However, within the diversified land-use mosaic of the urban fabric a variety
of green spaces frequently exists that provides opportunities for nature conservation and outdoor
recreation. One category of urban protected area is the urban greenbelt (see McNeely, 2001).
Greenbelts, with their planning role of curtailing urban sprawl often involve both semi-natural areas
and the lived-in landscape of a rural economy. The experience of the National Capital Greenbelt
around Ottawa affords one such example where protection of a lived-in landscape is achieved
through collaboration and partnership.
Surrounding Canada’s capital to the south of the Ottawa River, the National Capital Greenbelt is a
20,000ha green space and rural landscape that varies between two and eight kilometres wide.
Recorded as a Category V area in the UN List of Protected Areas, it is a rural landscape of farmland,
forests, wetlands, recreational open space, small rural communities, and land used by public and
private institutions.
The National Capital Commission (NCC, a Federal Crown corporation) owns approximately
16,000ha of the Greenbelt and the remainder is owned by Federal Government agencies. Lands
owned by the NCC comprise approximately equal proportions of farmland, forestry and conser -
vation areas. The Greenbelt serves as a significant setting for public activities that require a rural or
natural environment. These include a variety of nodal and linear sites for outdoor recreation, and
educational and interpretive opportunities associated with the diverse biological and cultural heritage
of the area. Specific sites are recognised through a Ramsar designation as well as class 1 provincial
wetlands and a provincial historic site.
Protection of the essential character of the Greenbelt is attained through the implementation of the
Greenbelt Master Plan (National Capital Commission, 1996). This Plan represents a commitment by
the NCC to serve as the custodian of the Greenbelt on behalf of the Canadian public. Two of the
Greenbelt roles and their associated land designations are specifically relevant to its recognition as a
Category V area. These are: (1) the “Continuous Natural Environment,” which includes: “core
natural area”, “natural buffer” and “natural area link” land designations; and (2) the “Vibrant Rural
Community” role, which includes both “cultivated land” and “rural landscape” land designations. A
Greenbelt Management Plan supports the implementation of the Greenbelt Master Plan.
The success of the National Capital Greenbelt in protecting a rural landscape adjacent to a
metropolitan area is largely due to collaborative partnerships that are evident in several ways (see
Swinnerton in Phillips, 2002):
1. The development and implementation of a Greenbelt Master Plan (1996) has been achieved
through an open process involving all levels of government, the general public, and specific
interest groups.
2. Although the NCC is not subject to the laws and requirements of lower levels of government,
the NCC complies from a policy perspective. The planning and management of the Greenbelt
is a partnership involving federal, provincial and municipal levels of government. Land-use
planning provisions mirror the NCC policy for the Greenbelt.
3. The NCC, as the dominant landowner within the Greenbelt, encourages its tenant farmers to
follow best management practices and promotes sustainable forestry.
4. Protection of significant natural and cultural heritage resources within the Greenbelt depends
on a variety of partnership arrangements.
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