Protected Areas

New Brunswick’s important natural areas were given new protections in 2001, following a years-long debate throughout the province. The Protected Natural Areas Act created areas in the province that were protected mainly for nature conservation purposes, with no development, new roads, mining or forestry allowed. Most outdoor recreation could continue, with some restrictions to protect nature.

At the time, 10 large areas were designated as protected. Since then, other smaller sites have been added to the list. The total amount of land protected under the act is almost 272,000 hectares or 4.7% of New Brunswick’s 7 million hectare land base. In 2019, the Government of New Brunswick launched the Nature Legacy Initiative, committing to protecting 10% of the province by 2023.

In July of 2022, the Government of New Brunswick announced 84 new protected areas in the province (almost 100,000 ha), bringing the provincial total of land protected to 6%. On Dec.13, 2022, a new announcement added 277,900 ha of protected lands, the largest addition in New Brunswick’s history. These new areas will be protected under the Conservation Easements Act ensuring they will be safe from development and natural resource extraction. People will still be allowed to enjoy these spaces and participate in outdoor recreational activities. You can view the location of the new areas on our protected areas map.

Protected Areas Map

This map contains the areas protected under the Protected Natural Areas Act, the Conservation Easements Act and the provincial parks of New Brunswick. The map is fully navigable: you can move around the map by holding down the left button of your mouse, and zoom in and out using the controls in the top left. As well, by clicking on a specific site, you get the name of the area and other information, and you can zoom in closer.

Purple areas are PNAs. The green areas are new conservation areas announced in 2022.

The Protected Natural Areas Act allowed for the creation of 2 categories of protected areas, called Class I and Class II. Areas in both categories are protected from all forms of development, including construction, road building, mining, and forestry. Class I areas, of which there are 4 small ones, are areas which are deemed very sensitive and are therefore restricted areas requiring provincial permits to enter. Class II areas remain open to recreational activities, fishing and hunting.

Class I Protected Natural Areas – those lands and water permanently set aside for the conservation of biological diversity. All activities are prohibited except by permit from ERD. They are controlled by ERD under the Protected Areas Act.

Class II Protected Natural Areas – Areas permanently set aside for the conservation of biological diversity, where certain recreational activities having minimal impact will be allowed. They are controlled by ERD under the Protected Natural Areas Act.

There are also, scattered throughout the province, areas under conservation easements held by different agencies like the Nature Trust of New Brunswick and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

New protected areas that are designated as part of the Nature Legacy Initiative will also fall under the province’s Conservation Easements Act.

Details about individual sites can be found by downloading the mobile app “ExploreEcoNB”.

Although the number of areas protected seems large, our protected areas system remains inadequate. Areas have been protected for the purpose of protecting the ecosystems or environmental features within them. However, to do this well, the area needs to be large enough to contain these features, as well as enough area around them to buffer them from human activities. Some scientists state that protected areas should be a minimum of 25,000 hectares in size. In New Brunswick we have 7 protected areas which are greater than 10,000 hectares, 2 of which are greater than 25,000 hectares. 50 protected areas are less than 1000 hectares in size, with the smallest being 3.5 hectares in size.

The Government of New Brunswick, as part of a broader national initiative, has committed to protect 10% of the province by 2023. The Nature Legacy Initiative will double the amount of protected lands and waters in New Brunswick from 4.7% to 10%. This project is in collaboration with Indigenous partners, conservation groups (including CPAWS NB), stakeholders and the public.

During 2020, members of the public were invited to nominate sites for protection, followed by a comment period on successful nominations, referred to as Candidate Conserved Areas. Designated protected areas will be chosen from the Candidate Conserved Areas to reach 10% protection. With the designation of 84 new protected areas or almost 100,000Ha of land, the total is now 6%. CPAWS NB is pleased to see sites in the Restigouche River Watershed, along the Nepisiguit River, on Miscou Island and adjacent to both Fundy and Kouchibouguac national parks receive protection. Check out all the Featured Sites to learn about their ecological or cultural significance.

CPAWS New Brunswick worked with the public, to promote Nature Legacy and to help nominate sites across the province that are important to New Brunswickers. We continue to encourage the government to fulfill their promise and designate these sites under legislation, and to build relationships with Indigenous Nations to advance their vision for protected and conserved areas in the province.

To learn more about Nature Legacy and get involved, please visit the Nature Legacy Website.

Protected Areas

Our best hope for conserving New Brunswick’s natural character into the future.

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