Ontario's Natural Heritage Areas - Ministry of Natural Resources

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Management Objectives and/or Guidelines Once a site has been identified as an Important Bird Area, it is added to the list of Important Bird Area sites and included in a Canadian directory (an ‘electronic directory’ featuring one page site summaries is available on the IBA web site). Next, federal, provincial, and territorial partners work with local stakeholders to determine the type of protection or stewardship required for the site. Important Bird Area community conservation planners across Canada work closely with local communities to develop conservation plans. In most cases, an Important Bird Area conservation plan is implemented by local stakeholder groups at each site. In support of local initiatives, Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada offer supporting grants through the IBA Community Action Fund. The fund is used to support high priority conservation initiatives identified in the conservation planning phase (IBA Canada, 2004). The Presqu’ile IBA Management Plan was the first Important Bird Area conservation plan completed in Ontario. The plan was prepared by the Presqu’ile IBA Stewardship Steering Committee (comprised of local people) and contains background information, conservation targets, a list of threats to targets, and strategies to manage the threats. The plan provides the primary land owner, Ontario Parks, with clear direction for conserving the birds that depend on the park’s habitat (IBA Canada, 2002). The Degree of Protection for Important Bird Areas and the Corresponding IUCN Protected Area Management Strategy: A Preliminary Assessment There is no legal mechanism for the protection of Important Bird Area sites in Ontario. Therefore, on its own the designation does not qualify an area for inclusion in the IUCN classification system. An Important Bird Area can attain ‘fully protected’ status under the auspices of a range of legal mechanisms employed by a number of agencies and organizations, and may qualify for more than one IUCN category. For example, the Point Pelee IBA is located in Point Pelee National Park, which qualifies as a Category II protected area. Ontario’s Natural Heritage Areas 114 Key Contact(s) BirdLife International Wellbrook Court Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 0NA United Kingdom Telephone: +44 (0)1223 277 318 Fax: +44 (0)1223 277 200 Website: www.birdlife.org/action/science/sites/index.html Information: birdlife@birdlife.org Nature Canada 85 Albert St., Suite 900 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6A4 Telephone: 613-562-3447 Fax: 613-562-3371 Website: www.natureconservancy.ca Information: info@naturecanada.ca Bird Studies Canada P.O. Box 160, 115 Front Rd. Port Rowan, Ontario N0E 1M0 Telephone: 519-586-3531 Fax: 519-586-3532 Website: www.bsc-eoc.org/ Information: birdmap@bsc-eoc.org Important Bird Areas of Canada Website: www.ibacanada.com Image by P.A. Gray
5. National Designations and Mechanisms Introduction Throughout Canada a number of national designations serve to protect natural and cultural heritage areas and values. Nine of these national designations are relevant to Ontario: • National Parks. • National Marine Conservation Areas. • National Historic Sites. • Canadian Heritage Rivers. • Migratory Bird Sanctuaries. • National Wildlife Areas. • Oceans Act Marine Protected Areas. • Marine Wildlife Areas. • National Capital Commission Lands. 5.1 National Parks Introduction Canada’s National Parks program was formally initiated in 1885 with the protection of the Banff mineral hot springs (Parks Canada, 1997). National Parks protect ecosystems that represent Canada’s natural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations. Parks Canada strives to maintain the integrity of ecosystems in each park while providing opportunities for public enjoyment and education. The National Parks program is designed to protect ‘representative areas’ in each of Canada’s 39 terrestrial natural regions (Parks Canada, 1994:24, 1997). Although a representative park has not yet been established in every natural region, 43 National Parks have been created. In Ontario, five National Parks have been established in three of seven natural regions (Parks Canada, 1997) (Table 5-1, Fig. 5-1). The 1971 version of the National Parks System Planning Manual provided the first comprehensive management framework for establishing a system of parks across Canada (Parks Canada, 1971). It was subsequently updated in 1979 and 1994 during Table 5-1. National Parks in Ontario. Image by P. Kor National Park Year Established Area (ha) St. Lawrence Islands National Park 1914 870 Point Pelee National Park 1918 1,500 Georgian Bay Islands National Park 1929 2,560 Pukaskwa National Park 1971/78 187,800 Bruce Peninsula National Park 1987 15,400 Sources: Parks Canada (1997) and MNR (2006a). Total 208,130 which time National Parks policy and planning evolved significantly (Parks Canada, 1979, 1994). For example, the 1994 policy improves upon the 1979 policy by providing more scope for collaborative work outside park boundaries with managers responsible for adjacent lands and waters in recognition that ecosystem boundaries often extend beyond the park. 115 Ontario’s Natural Heritage Areas
Page 1 and 2: Part II Ontario’s Natural Heritag
Page 3 and 4: 4. International Designations and M
Page 5 and 6: The Ontario IBP/CT work helped defi
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Page 9 and 10: Image by D. Paleczny philosophy and
Page 11 and 12: 1 ALPS SAND HILLS 2 AUSABLE RIVER -
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Page 19 and 20: 4.2 Ramsar Convention Sites Introdu
Page 21 and 22: Figure 4.7. Ramsar Convention Sites
Page 23 and 24: 4.3 Biosphere Reserves Introduction
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Page 27 and 28: 4.4 World Heritage Sites Introducti
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Page 33 and 34: In general, the threshold for ident
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Page 39 and 40: Figure 5-1. National Parks in Ontar
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Page 43 and 44: The Crown, in Right of Canada, owns
Page 45 and 46: Image by T.J. Beechey In selecting
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Page 53 and 54: experience, without significant int
Page 55 and 56: Selection Criteria Candidate areas
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Page 59 and 60: Figure 5-5. National Wildlife Areas
Page 61 and 62: Selection Criteria The Government o
Page 63 and 64: • A considerable group of species
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Page 67 and 68: Image by P.A. Gray • Natural Area
Page 69: Image by D. Paleczny objective of n

Ontario's Natural Heritage Areas - Ministry of Natural Resources

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