Ontario's Natural Heritage Areas - Ministry of Natural Resources

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• Establish protected wetland reserves. • Promote public education and awareness of wetland values and conservation (North American Wetlands Conservation Council, 1995:3). The Degree of Protection for Ramsar Convention Sites and the Corresponding IUCN Protected Area Management Strategy: A Preliminary Assessment Ramsar Convention Sites are international designations that may be protected under the auspices of other types of protected areas. ‘Fully protected’ sites managed through national and provincial mechanisms fall into more than one IUCN protected area category, including Categories Ib, II, and IV (Table 4-2). Some Ramsar Convention Sites do not qualify under the IUCN protected areas classification because they are only ‘partially protected’ under different mechanisms. Key Contact(s) The Ramsar Convention Secretariat Rue Mauverney 28 CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland Telephone: +41 22 999 0170 Fax: +41 22 999 0169 Website: www.ramsar.org Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3 Telephone: 819-997-2800 or 1-800-668-6767 Fax: 819-994-1412 Website: www.ec.gc.ca/international/multilat/wet_e. htm. Information: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca Ontario’s Natural Heritage Areas 100 Table 4-2. Ramsar Convention Sites and IUCN protected area categories. Ramsar Convention Site IUCN Category Polar Bear Provincial Park 2,408,700 ha in Category Ib. Southern James Bay 25,290 ha are considered ‘partially protected’ because only the animals are protected under the auspices of the Migratory Birds Convention Act. There is no legal mechanism to protect all habitats. Minesing Swamp 3,500 ha of publicly owned land are in Category IV, and the remaining hectares are in private or municipal ownership. Matchedash Bay 1,840 ha in Provincial Wildlife Area Category IV. Long Point 10,790 ha in National Wildlife Area Category II that are designated in public ownership, and 2,940 ha in private ownership that are considered ‘partially protected’. Point Pelee National Park 1,564 ha in Category II. Mer Bleue 3,447 ha in Category II Conservation Area managed by the National Capital Commission. St. Clair National 244 ha in Wildlife Area Category IV.
4.3 Biosphere Reserves Introduction The Biosphere Reserve concept was created by a task force of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Program (MAB) in 1974 and launched in 1976. Biosphere Reserves are designed to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with economic development. Biosphere Reserves are “areas of terrestrial and coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination thereof, which are internationally recognized within the framework of UNESCO’s Programme on MAB” (UNESCO, 1997), fulfilling three inter-related functions: conservation, development, and logistical support (UNESCO, 2007b). By 2007, 507 Biosphere Reserves in 102 countries, encompassing more than two billion hectares had been designated (UNESCO, 2007b). Canada has been involved with the Man and Biosphere Program since its inception. The first Canadian Biosphere Reserve was established in 1978 at Mont St. Hilaire in Quebec. Canada has established 13 Biosphere Reserves and one candidate Biosphere Reserve (CBRA, 2005). Four Biosphere Reserves are located in Ontario (UNESCO, 2007b) (Table 4-3, Fig. 4-8). The Man and Biosphere Program provided the first formal mechanism designed to integrate a range of disparate international and national research projects, conservation management programs, and training Table 4-3. Biosphere Reserves in Ontario. Biosphere Reserve Area (ha) Long Point, 1986 40,600 Niagara Escarpment, 1990 190,270 Frontenac Arch, 2002 150,000 Georgian Bay Littoral, 2004 347,270 Source: UNESCO (2007b). Total 728,140 Image by P.A. Gray activities. Biosphere Reserves are internationally recognized areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems or a combination thereof, established to: • Promote the conservation and sustained human use of ecosystems of one or more of the world’s natural regions. • Include a landscape or waterscape of which people are an integral part, and which is managed for multiple objectives ranging from complete protection to intensive yet sustainable production. • Serve as a regional centre for monitoring, research, education, training, and demonstration on natural and managed ecosystems. • Serve as a place where people from industry, government, academia, and research institutes work in close cooperation with local people in developing a model program for land and water management that meets people’s needs, while conserving natural processes and sustaining biological resources. • Provide an example of human dependence on the natural environment and of voluntary cooperation to conserve and use resources for the well-being of people everywhere (Canada/ MAB, 1987:1). Biosphere Reserves form a world-wide network (the ‘World Network of Biosphere Reserves’) to support initiatives aimed at the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of ecosystems. The Biosphere Reserves contribute to the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and other relevant treaties and instruments (UNESCO, 1997). 101 Ontario’s Natural Heritage Areas
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Ontario's Natural Heritage Areas - Ministry of Natural Resources

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