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

Overall, stewardship incentive programs, whether they be payment for projects, cost-sharing for
priorities of the EFP or services by qualified agencies to help coordinate and advise on environmental
actions, are beneficial to the Greenbelt’s biodiversity. The results of these programs are difficult to
measure, however, partly because of the lack of a requirement in the Greenbelt Plan for the province
to put in place a cohesive and comprehensive monitoring framework to gauge changes over time
in the plan area.
Section 5.8 of the Greenbelt Plan requires the Ontario government to create and implement a
framework to evaluate the effectiveness of the Greenbelt Plan in achieving its goals. 156 Though a
discussion paper on the draft framework was posted by the government in April 2010 for public
consultation, no final version of the framework has been released to date. Without a framework, it
is difficult to assess the achievements of the Greenbelt policies.
Monitoring the effectiveness of both regulatory and voluntary actions that provide habitat
protection for species at risk is a critical component of effective implementation of the Greenbelt
Plan. These results can help groups and individuals to adjust their activities. They can also enhance
the development and implementation of policy. While some groups that work closely with specific
areas are well positioned to provide consistent data on what is working and what is not — data that
can help inform improvements to the Greenbelt — the need remains for a coordinated monitoring
framework to help understand the current strengths and weaknesses of Greenbelt policies.
Monitoring the Greenbelt
Durham Region Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Project
The purpose of the
project is to gather and
analyze data over time in
the coastal wetlands to
ensure that trends can be
adequately understood
and management
plans can be developed
for the future.
The Durham Region Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Project has been gathering consistent results over
time that could provide data for Greenbelt monitoring. Led by the Central Lake Ontario Conservation
Authority (CLOCA), the program was created to help address significant losses in Durham’s coastal
wetlands, which have been heavily affected by encroaching development. 157 Environment Canada,
the Toronto Region Conservation Authority and the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority all
partner with CLOCA to monitor the coastal wetlands of Durham.
The purpose of the project is to gather and analyze data over time in the coastal wetlands to
ensure that trends can be adequately understood and management plans can be developed for
the future. Key threats and the impact of nearby activities on the wetlands and their associated
habitat for many species, including those at risk, are a critical component of the long-range study.
The partners use geological and biological indicators, including the health of plants, fish, breeding
birds and amphibian communities, to develop rankings of water quality, quantity, vegetation and
more. They pay specific attention to the impact that restoration efforts have had on the health of
the wetland, to ensure that adaptive management practices are used in maintaining and restoring
these critical hydrological systems.
156 Greenbelt Plan, p.45.
157 Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority, Durham Region Coastal Wetlands.
Page 44
Biodiversity in Ontario’s greenbelt