Urban Protected Area September Spotlight

Pond at south end of Rouge National Urban Park. Image by Eddar27/ CC By-SA 4.0

For the month of September we are spotlighting the Canada's Rouge National Urban Park.

Established in 2015, Rouge National Urban Park is Canada’s first national urban park, spanning over 79 square kilometers across Toronto and surrounding municipalities in Ontario. Managed by Parks Canada, Rouge protects a diverse mix of forests, wetlands, rivers, farmland, and cultural heritage sites within the Greater Toronto Area, providing nature access to over seven million nearby residents

Rouge National Urban Park represents a first-of-its-kind model for integrating biodiversity conservation, cultural heritage protection, and sustainable agriculture within an urbanized region. The park conserves critical ecosystems such as Carolinian forests, marshlands, and rivers, supporting over 1,700 species of plants and animals, including 27 species at risk.

Rouge also incorporates working agricultural lands, aiming to sustain traditional farming practices alongside ecological restoration. Parks Canada’s management framework emphasizes ecosystem connectivity, Indigenous co-governance and stewardship, and expanding equitable public access to nature for urban residents. Rouge serves as a global example of balancing conservation, cultural values, and recreation in an urban context.