As world leaders are meeting this week to discuss the future of biodiversity, Ontario needs to listen closely. Ontario is home to tens of thousands of species and vast areas of forests, tundra, and freshwater. Yet the provincial government has been unsuccessful at halting biodiversity loss within Ontario’s borders.

This year, the ECO examined several policies aimed at protecting and conserving the province’s biodiversity. Our 2009/2010 Annual Report illustrated the links between climate change and biodiversity loss, warning that Ontario’s ecology will be radically reshaped by the end of the 21st century. It also highlighted that Ontario’s biodiversity strategy from 2005, itself a five-year plan, had expired and there was no commitment by the Ontario government to address this globally significant issue in the years ahead. The ECO formally recommended that the Ministry of Natural Resources lead the development of a new and reconceived biodiversity strategy for Ontario.

The ECO reported this year on many other issues the global Convention on Biological Diversity will be discussing:

Species at risk: The ECO investigated Ontario’s mixed progress in implementing the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA).  The government is facing a steep learning curve to protect and recover species at risk.  Many policies necessary for ESA implementation, and associated public consultation, remain incomplete.

Wildlife management: Black bears will now be managed in Ontario by ecological zones rather than by human boundaries, which is a step in the right direction.  However, when it comes to bears, MNR uses the term “sustainability” only in terms of their continued harvest.

Forests: Forestry practices in the Stand and Site Guide aim to provide for wildlife habitat, but long-term research has not been completed to ensure effectiveness of its guidance.  As we lose forested habitat in some areas, renewed efforts in afforestation are required to conserve and restore the diversity of forest ecosystems in the province. One billion more trees need to be planted in southern Ontario – far more than the government’s target of 50 million trees by 2020

Parks: New guidance for managing Ontario’s parks emphasizes the importance of their ecological integrity.  However, without the necessary legal weight, guidelines will not produce the desired results.

For more information, please see the ECO’s 2009/2010 Annual Report.