Greenbelt Biodiversity

Greenbelts exist all over the world, but Ontario’s Greenbelt is the world’s largest! Stretching over two million acres, the Ontario Greenbelt is one of the most biodiverse areas in all of Canada.

The Greenbelt designation is used in land-use planning to protect natural, agricultural, undeveloped, and residential areas, as well as critical water systems that surround and intersect urban areas. These important landscapes are home to many farms that grow our food, help clean our air and water, provide habitat for wildlife, and ensure our communities have natural spaces to explore.

For the Greenbelt Biodiversity action, students are invited to conduct a biodiversity inventory and plant native species on their school grounds. While this action is focused on Ontario’s Greenbelt, biodiversity inventories are still a powerful way to support conservation initiatives in your region!

Grants for schools within the Ontario Greenbelt Region

Are you looking to enhance biodiversity on your school grounds this year?

Invite your students to submit an entry to the Young Reporters for the Environment competition, highlighting Ontario’s Greenbelt, for a chance to win up to $5,000 in funding for a school biodiversity project! It’s a fantastic opportunity to make a lasting impact while learning about local ecosystems.

What is YRE?

Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) is an international student contest where participants share environmental stories through photography, videography, or writing. Learn more about YRE.

There are 11 grants available:

grand prize of

$5,000

runner-up prizes of

$1,000

Submit your entry!

Winners will be selected from entries in any category of the YRE competition (photo, article, or video). Schools can submit multiple student entries, increasing their chances of winning.

How to qualify:

Submit a student entry to the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) that focuses on Ontario’s Greenbelt in any category (photo, article, or video). Entries must comply with the YRE Competition Rules.

Schools must be located on, or within 5 km of, the Greenbelt. To find out, please click here.

Schools must be willing to host a small planting event in the Spring (supported by EcoSchools Canada and the Greenbelt Foundation). Only one school will be selected for this opportunity.

Approval must be obtained from the school board/district or landowner for the planting project.

The grant must be used to prioritize planting native species.

Grants for schools within the Ontario Greenbelt Region

We are excited to announce the winners of the Greenbelt Biodiversity grants. See the winners below!

Winners 2025

Richland Academy $5,000

Thornlea Secondary School $1,000
Macville PS $1,000
Pauline Johnson $1,000

Read the press release here.

Schools within the Ontario Greenbelt Region:

Are you looking to enhance biodiversity on your school grounds this year?

Apply for funding to support a planting project as part of the Greenbelt Biodiversity action card. There are five grants available of two different sizes:

1 x $5,000

4 x $2,500

How to qualify:

1. Be located on, or in close proximity (within 5 km) to, the Ontario Greenbelt.
2. Add and plan to complete the Greenbelt Biodiversity action on the EcoSchools Certification Application.
3. Conduct a plant inventory on your school grounds.
4. Be willing to host a small planting event in the Spring (supported by EcoSchools Canada and the Greenbelt Foundation).
5. Obtain approval from your school administrator and board/district or landowner for your planting project.
6. Prioritize the planting of native species.

Complete the form below no later than February 8, 2026