Committed to the conservation, enhancement and stewardship of habitat across Newfoundland and Labrador

There are three Conservation Areas within the City of St. John's municipal boundaries, which together support a diversity of wildlife species and encompass a total area of approximately 1456 acres. These Conservation Areas are Lundrigan's Marsh, and newly added in an expansion in 2025, Southside Hills and the Cape Spear Wetlands.

In 2004, the City of St. John's signed an agreement conserving Lundrigan's Marsh. This marsh is the largest cattail marsh in eastern Newfoundland, but it was originally a black spruce bog. Human intervention, primarily through a slow influx of lime and sediment from an adjacent cement company, increased pH and water levels and eventually resulted in the formation of a lime-enriched cattail marsh containing open-water pools. Lundrigan's Marsh is in the Virginia River Watershed. The area acts as a catchment basin and filtering system that slowly cleanses organic material, suspended particles and silt from the water draining through it before entering the Virginia River. Because of the large catchment area, the marsh also prevents flooding in the City and regulates water levels in the Virginia River Watershed.

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The Southside Hills Conservation Area spans approximately from Fort Amherst Road to Blackhead Road, protecting the wetland habitat located there, and providing a buffer to this portion of the East Coast Trail. The Cape Spear Conservation Area covers the predominantly bog wetlands south of Parks Canada’s Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site. All wetland types are found within the conservation area: bog, fen, swamp, marsh, and open water. As a result, a myriad of flora and fauna species can be found within the Conservation Area's boundaries, and reflect on the biodiversity of the habitat. Ericaceous shrubs like Labrador tea, Leatherleaf, and Sweet gale are common, while herbaceous plants include blue flag iris, ostrich fern, and pitcher plants. An extremely high abundance of birding biodiversity can be found here, including waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds and seabirds, with breeding and nesting evidence present. This area provides habitat for critically imperiled, imperiled, or vulnerable species, including Red knot, King eider, Harlequin duck, Surf scoter, Black scoter, Sora, Black bellied plover, American golden-plover, Semipalmated plover, Rusty blackbird, Short-eared owl, Northern goshawk and others. Additionally, sightings of Atlantic puffin, Murres, Razorbills, and Snowy owls have been noted in the area.