Biodiversity, Boreal, Boreal Forest, Conservator, Wetlands

The boreal region: Canada’s great green heart

Stretching across the country like a vast green crest, Canada’s boreal region is one of the most important natural landscapes on Earth.

By Toby Goodfellow May 26, 2026

A remote Yukon wetland reflects the sky, surrounded by mountains and greenery of the northern boreal forest.

Covering nearly 1.3 billion acres (526 million hectares), or about one-third of Canada’s landmass, the boreal region boasts one of the planet’s largest intact ecosystems. It is a place of vast forests, endless rivers, ancient peatlands and millions of lakes that shimmer across the northern landscape.

Despite its immense size and global importance, the boreal region often exists at the edge of public awareness. Yet its influence reaches far beyond the treeline. The boreal is vital to climate stability, biodiversity, clean water, Indigenous cultures and the future of wildlife across North America. What happens in the boreal matters everywhere.

The boreal region: A global climate powerhouse

Canada’s boreal region plays an awe-inspiring role in regulating Earth’s climate. Its forests and wetlands store more than 22 per cent of the planet’s terrestrial carbon, much of it locked deep within peatland soils. These types of wetlands, with deep organic soils, act as long-term carbon vaults, helping keep greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere for thousands of years.

When boreal ecosystems remain intact, they help slow climate change. When they are disturbed, drained or fragmented, that stored carbon is released, resulting in increasing global temperatures that disrupt global ecosystems. Conserving, responsibly managing and restoring boreal wetlands are some of the most effective and scalable natural climate solutions available to us today.

Healthy boreal landscapes also help moderate local and regional climates. Wetlands absorb excess water during floods, release it slowly during dry periods and cool surrounding air through evaporation. In a world facing more extreme weather, these natural systems provide resilience that engineered solutions cannot easily replace and would cost billions to do artificially.

Birthplace of billions of birds

Each spring, the boreal forest becomes one of the most important wildlife nurseries on the planet. Billions of migratory birds, from ducks and geese to songbirds and shorebirds, travel vast distances from all over the Americas to rely on this region for nesting and raising their young.

For waterfowl, the boreal is indispensable. It is estimated that more than half of North America’s ducks hatch in Canada each year, with the boreal region playing a central role. In fact, the boreal hosts an average of 15 million ducks each breeding season, representing roughly one-third of the continental population.

When drought grips the Prairies, the boreal steps up to serve as a critical buffer— something our researchers and scientists refer to as a “backstop to the duck factory.” In recent years, research has shown that more ducks are being produced in the western boreal and subarctic regions than in traditional southern breeding areas, such as the Prairie Pothole Region. As climate patterns shift, the importance of boreal wetlands in sustaining continental waterfowl populations will only grow.

DUC’s operations in Canada’s boreal forest stretch from the Yukon to Newfoundland, an area that covers nearly 1.3 billion acres (526 million hectares). © DUC

The boreal region: A haven for biodiversity

Beyond birds, the boreal region supports an extraordinary diversity of life. It is home to more than 130 species of fish and 85 species of mammals, including iconic wildlife such as the boreal chorus frog, woodland caribou, moose, lynx, wolves and wolverines.

What makes the boreal so resilient is its sheer scale and connectivity. Large, intact landscapes allow ecosystems to function as nature intended: responding to disturbances, adapting to change and sustaining life over the long term. Fragmentation, by contrast, can weaken these ecosystems and processes, and place wildlife at risk.

Conserving biodiversity in the boreal is not just about preventing species loss; it is about maintaining complex relationships among forests, wetlands, water, wildlife and people that ultimately support human well-being.

Water is the heart of the boreal landscape

Water defines the boreal region. Millions of lakes, rivers and wetlands form the headwaters of many of Canada’s major watersheds.

Boreal wetlands filter pollutants, regulate the flow of water, reduce flooding and recharge groundwater systems. In a changing climate, these services are more valuable than ever. Healthy wetlands help communities adapt to extremes — whether that is absorbing heavy rainfall or sustaining flows during drought.

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Conservation is not just an environmental priority; it is an investment in public health, economic stability and long-term resilience.

DUC

A landscape of people and partnerships

While the boreal is vast and wild, it is not empty. More than four million people, including many Indigenous communities, are located within Canada’s boreal region. Indigenous Peoples have stewarded these lands since time immemorial, guided by deep Knowledge systems rooted in relationship and responsibility.

More than 90 per cent of the boreal is public land, and less than 15 per cent is under some form of protection. This means conservation depends on collaboration among Indigenous Peoples, governments, industry, scientists and conservation organizations. Success is only found through genuine partnership, shared leadership and respect for multiple forms of knowledge.

Conservation at a boreal scale

For more than 25 years, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has been a leader in boreal conservation, working across provinces and territories to safeguard wetlands and the landscapes that sustain them.

Our approach is grounded in science and partnership. Our organization invests in wetland mapping and research, advocates for strong, science-based policies, promotes sustainable land use and contributes to Indigenous-led conservation initiatives. Just as importantly, DUC helps tell the story of the boreal by connecting Canadians to a region that quietly supports life across the continent.

To date, DUC has helped conserve more than 200 million acres (80 million hectares) of boreal land through stewardship, policy influence and collaborative conservation. By 2028, we aim to conserve another 50 million acres (more than 20 million hectares) across the boreal, delivering landscape-level benefits for waterfowl, wildlife, climate and people.

Water defines the boreal region. Millions of lakes, rivers and wetlands form the headwaters of many of Canada’s major watersheds. © Jeope Wolfe

The Green Heart Challenge: A call to action

Ducks Unlimited Canada is inviting Canadians to be part of something truly historic.

The Green Heart Challenge is a bold, national effort to raise the support needed to conserve 300 million acres (121 million hectares) of Canada’s boreal region by 2030. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to come together and safeguard one of the last great intact ecosystems on Earth, while we still have the power to make a lasting difference.

This challenge recognizes a simple truth: conserving the boreal supports everything connected to it, including clean water, wildlife populations, climate stability and a living legacy for future generations.

By supporting the Green Heart Challenge, individuals will help advance research, strengthen conservation policies, empower Indigenous-led initiatives and ensure that Canada’s boreal remains intact and thriving for generations to come. Just as the boreal region often exists at the edge of public awareness, it also exists on the precipice of irreversible loss if we do not step up.

A legacy worth conserving

The boreal matters because all life depends on it. Birds hatched here will travel thousands of kilometres, linking ecosystems from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Carbon stored in boreal peatlands influences the global climate. Water flowing from boreal headwaters sustains communities far beyond the forest’s lines.

What we choose to do today will determine whether this extraordinary region continues to beat as the green heart we have counted on for millions of years.

DUC’s work in the boreal shows what is possible when science, partnership and public support come together. Through the Green Heart Challenge, you have an opportunity to help write the next chapter of conservation history — one defined by foresight, commitment and hope.

Join the Green Heart Challenge

Donate today to keep 300 million acres of Canada’s boreal on the map, for life.

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