Biodiversity in Ontario's Greenbelt (PDF) - David Suzuki Foundation

Taking it to the People
As a large-scale land use goal that relies on municipal implementation and community support,
the protection of biodiversity within the Greenbelt hinges on the contribution of local knowledge
and action. The integration of community-led efforts with the regulatory regime accomplishes
two things. First, decision-makers can be both heartened and inspired by on-the-ground support
for high-level policies. Second, natural heritage systems can be strengthened in ways that make
sense scientifically and socially, leading to the increased resilience of the system and an increased
understanding of the beneficial role nature plays in healthy communities.
A program operates with greatest strength if its actors can do whatever they do best to help
accomplish a common goal. In the southern section of the Greenbelt, a partnership of individuals,
conservation groups, planning authorities and funding organizations is doing just that. Each partner
has been able to contribute a specific component to get a large landscape-level project off the ground
that combines the purchase of properties by land trusts and voluntary efforts on private and public
land that provides natural connections.
Cootes to Escarpment Park System
The area is the last
remaining region on the
Greenbelt where wetlands
are still contiguous to
Lake Ontario, and its
connectivity provides
Carolinian habitat for
Greenbelt species at
risk such as the hooded
warbler, Jefferson
salamander, monarch
butterfly and eastern
spiny softshell turtle.
Nothing can better illustrate the complexities of land use planning in southern Ontario than the vision
for the Cootes to Escarpment Park System, which covers 1,500 hectares, involves nine partners
and attempts to accomplish the major ecological and community goals of the Greenbelt plan. 141
The project’s goal is to connect nine existing protected areas to form a migratory and recreational
corridor from Hamilton Harbour and Cootes Paradise to the Niagara Escarpment. The area is the
last remaining region on the Greenbelt where wetlands are still contiguous to Lake Ontario, and its
connectivity provides Carolinian habitat for Greenbelt species at risk such as the hooded warbler,
Jefferson salamander, monarch butterfly and eastern spiny softshell turtle. The area is also used
by many more common bird, amphibian and reptile populations.
The project is in early days, with a recent publication of its vision and strategy. Early funding for
the strategy’s development has come from the project partners: Bruce Trail Conservancy, City of
Burlington, City of Hamilton, Conservation Halton, Hamilton Conservation Authority, Hamilton Harbour
Remedial Action Plan, Hamilton Naturalists Club, Region of Halton and the Royal Botanical Garden,
as well as the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and, in 2011, the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The
coordinated effort has a key goal of creating “stronger and more sustainable protection for species
at risk and their sensitive ecological communities.” The strategy will involve protection through the
purchase and management of properties by land trusts, education and outreach for property owners
within the project area and coordinated voluntary stewardship efforts on public and private land.
These efforts will help restore and maintain the natural integrity of the core areas and associated
corridors, many of which may be found on private land, to enhance the ecological system in the
141 Cootes to Escarpment. 2009. Cootes to Escarpment Park System: A Conservation Vision. Report to Cootes
to Escarpment.
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Biodiversity in Ontario’s greenbelt