Carbonear
SAM Member Since: December 2025
Area Protected: 2,200 acres
The Municipality of Carbonear is located on the western side of Conception Bay on the Avalon Peninsula. It has a population of approximately 4700, and a history long tied to fishing and shipbuilding. The town is one of the oldest permanent settlements in Newfoundland and among the oldest European settlements in North America. The harbour appears on early Portuguese maps as early as the late 1500s as Cabo Carvoeiro (later anglicized as Cape Carviero). With the rise of the seal hunt and the Labrador cod fishery, Carbonear became a major commercial centre in the 19th century.
Conservation Areas
The Town of Carbonear is in the Maritimes Barrens Ecoregion, in the Northeastern Barrens Subregion. This subregion is commonly recognized by its extensive upland barrens, peatlands and patches of forested areas. This landscape reflects historical glacial activity with gentle moraines scattered by large boulders and hundreds of lakes and ponds left as the glaciers retreated. The Town of Carbonear has designated three Conservation Areas (CAs) within their planning boundaries, totaling approximately 2,200 acres of conserved wildlife habitat: Carbonear Water Supply, London Pond, and Island Pond Brook. The Town of Carbonear also designates the 1.5 km long riparian area along Island Pond Brook from below Columbus Drive to where it empties into Conception Bay as The Ponds Stewardship Area to highlight its environmental value to the community. Carbonear is home to diverse wildlife populations, such as waterfowl, seabirds, shorebirds, songbirds, and mammals. The designated CAs encompass some of the town’s most ecologically important wildlife habitats.
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The Carbonear Water Supply CA comprises much of the town’s designated Public Protected Water Supply Area - the wetlands and ponds of this area contribute to the larger Carbonear watershed and centrally include Big Island Pond, Carbonear Long Pond and The Bower, which eventually connect the watershed to the marine environment. Within the CA, there is a diverse set of provincially rarer flora, including Mudword (Limosella australis), Brown Bentgrass (Agrostis canina), Purple Sandspurry (Spergularia rubra), Northern Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea), and the provincially vulnerable Blue-felt lichen (Degelia plumbea). The London Pond CA is an important wetland and includes the vegetated riparian buffers around the shores of London Pond and its outflowing stream down to Columbus Drive.​ The Island Pond Brook CA includes the wetlands and riparian areas along a portion of Island Pond Brook. Nearly all of this area falls within the 20- or 100-year flood risk extent - including it in the Agreement strengthens protection of this sensitive natural area and supports flood-resilient planning.
Image Credit: Michael Garnier
Image Credit: Dave Moriarty
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Wildlife Watching
Resources
Carbonear Kids Map
Download and print this pamphlet to use at your next community stewardship event
Community Fact Sheet
