Maintains the Niagara Escarpment as a continuous natural environment.

The Niagara Escarpment is a protected area governed by Canada's first large-scale environmental land use plan. The Niagara Escarpment Plan outlines land use designations, development criteria and related permitted uses, including farming, forestry and mineral resource extraction. It also provides for a string of 160 Niagara Escarpment Parks and Open Spaces (NEPOSS) linked by the Bruce Trail, Canada's oldest and longest continuous footpath.

The Niagara Escarpment is a designated a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.