Green Ontario: Conservation Lands

The Niagara Escarpment

The Oak Ridges Moraine

Carolinian Canada

Introduction | Formal Strategies | Factsheets | The Eco-Tool Box

Significant Natural Areas

Significant Regions

If a region within the province has significant ecological value, then there are special measures that can be taken to protect those features. Two such regions are the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine

The Niagara Escarpment is a strip of land running from the Niagara Falls to Tobermory on the Georgian Bay. The region has been declared a World Heritage Site and is protected by the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NEP), which divides the escarpment into different zones for protection, rural use, agricultural use and compact development.

For information on the Niagara Escarpment and the NEP, contact:

The Niagara Escarpment Commission (http://www.escarpment.org)
The Bruce Trail Association (http://www.brucetrail.org)
The Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment (http://www.interlog.com/~cone)

The Oak Ridges Moraine is a second area which has, thus far, not been afforded any special protection. The Moraine runs across the north of Metropolitan Toronto, from the Niagara Escarpment in the west to Port Hope and Cobourg in the East. It is the headwaters for the region's rivers and a source of groundwater for many communities.

The Moraine faces strong development pressures, in particular in the towns around Toronto, including Richmond Hill, Vaughan, King City, and the Regional Municipalities of Peel, and York.

There is currently no special protection afforded to the moraine (See the Oak Ridges Moraine factsheet for details).

Is the park system all we need to protect natural areas in Ontario?
Not by a long shot.
Provincial Parks help to protect the most significant natural areas of the province from development. There are many more important ecological areas that need protection as well, including:

ecologically important regions (the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine are two such areas)

rivers and watersheds (Conservation Authority areas)

wetlands

Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs)

Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSIs)

natural areas of significance for the local community.

All of these areas face development pressures, which further shows the need for stronger protection under the provincial Planning Act.

INDEX

Significant Regions
Rivers and Watersheds

Wetlands

ESAs, ANSIs and Others

Locally Significant Areas
Individual Action

Carolinian Canada is the popular name for the extreme southwest region of Ontario, where the Eastern Deciduous Forest of North America has its northernmost limits. The region is also a major agricultural belt, which means that only pockets of the original forest ecosystem remain.

The Carolinian Canada Program was established in 1984 as a partnership between government agencies and non-government conservation groups to address the special needs of this region. Through the Carolinian Canada Conservation Strategy, this program has been successful in especially in protecting 38 of the most important sites.

For details, see the Carolinian Canada web site: http://www.carolinian.org/

Watersheds (Conservation Authorities)

All watersheds in southern Ontario are managed through local Conservation Authorities. Conservation Authorities were created in 1946 by an Act of the Provincial Legislature. They are mandated to ensure the conservation, restoration and responsible management of Ontario's water, land and natural habitats through programs that balance human, environmental and economic needs.

There are 38 Conservation Authorities in southern Ontario, each governed by a Board of Directors comprised of local municipal representatives and representatives from the community. The provincial association of conservation authorities is called Conservation Ontario.

Conservation Ontario owns more than 340,000 acres (138,000 hectares) of land in Ontario.
Conservation Ontario has 352 conservation areas; more than 200 offer a wide range of
activities and facilities.
133,000 acres of Conservation lands are available for recreation.
More than 500,000 people visit Conservation lands every year.
Conservation Ontario's lands include 55 historical landmarks & heritage sites.
Conservation Ontario maintains 893,000 feet of erosion control protection.
Conservation Ontario provides planning and development assistance in more than 18,000
miles (26,000 km) of valleys and floodplains in Ontario.
Conservation Ontario owns and manages 245 dams and 1.6 million feet of flood control
works.

Conservation authorities offer a unique opportunity for the development of watershed management plans that would help to protect the ecological integrity within each watershed. Over 300 Watershed Management / Strategic Plans are in place with member municipalities. Contact Conservation Ontario (the provincial association of Conservation Authorities) or the individual authorities listed below for details.

Wetlands

Between 70 and 80 per cent of southern Ontario's original wetland areas have been lost to development (according to Statistics Canada, Human Activity and the Environment 2000). The rest are partially protected under a provincial policy statement that says:

Development and site alteration will not be permitted in significant wetlands south and east of the Canadian Shield; (Provincial Policy Statement, Section 2.3.1a).

The Planning Act does not guarantee that these remaining wetland areas will be protected in perpetuity, nor does it control the impact of development surrounding the wetland area. The ongoing protection of these areas depends, in part, upon the commitment of municipal governments to zone wetlands as natural areas where no development can occur.

Some work is being done to protect the remaining wetlands, and also to restore or build new wetlands:

The Nature Conservancy of Canada works to buy or aquire significant natural areas, including wetlands
Ducks Unlimited works with landowners to build new wetland areas as habitat for ducks and other species. They have produced a guidebook called Rural Wetlands in Ontario: A Guide for Landowner's

Internationally, the Ramsar Convention, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. There are presently 123 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1045 wetland sites, totalling 78.6 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Ontario sites on the list are Point Pelee, Long Point, St. Clair, Polar Bear Provincial Park, and Southern James Bay (Moose River & Hannah Bay).

ESAs, ANSIs and Others

There are quite a few other classifications of natural areas, the most important and long-standing of which are Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs) and Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSIs). These sites are monitored by the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) an agency established by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Little information is available on how these areas are to be protected, other than through municipal zoning and stewardship.

Locally-Significant Areas

Everything from the neighbourhood park or the schoolyard, to rivers and the waterfront can be a locally-significant environmental feature. It doesn't necessarily require scientific designation to be of value to the community.

There are many kinds of habitat restoration and naturalization projects that can be adapted to fit the needs of local communities, and more than a few funding programs that are interested in supporting community greening.

Individual Action

Don't just stand there...

save something!

Donate Land
(or money for land)

The Nature Conservancy of Canada works to protect significant natural areas by buying them, or by securing long-term conservation easements.

Restore your local habitat

There are many groups involved in habitat restoration projects, and you can also contact your local conservation authority or municipality for help.

Here are some groups that have support materials for community-based projects:

	Evergreen Foundation (tree-planting)
	Ontario Streams (stream rehabilitation)
	Ducks Unlimited (wetland rehabilitation)
	Tree Canada Foundation (tree planting)

Adopt some nature

Looking to make a long-term commitment? Local groups can take an active role in caring for existing local natural areas, such as parks, streams, and shoreline.

Stewardship Ontario is a program of the Ministry of Natural Resources that links ministry staff with landowners, local groups and agencies to ensure that good management practices flourish on private land.


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See also the Green Ontario factsheets on Urban Sprawl and Protecting Nature

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