Ontario is a vast province that covers more than 1,000,000 km2 of the Earth’s surface.  The province has a wide range of climates, which along with geology and other factors, shapes its diverse lands and waters.  The diversity of ecosystems ranges from tundra habitats along the Hudson Bay coast to Carolinian forests bordering Lake Erie.

Ontario has the largest economy in Canada and a high quality of life that attracts people from around the world.  Our wealth and prosperity, our quality of life and our well-being are directly tied to the province’s biodiversity.

We depend on biodiversity for the necessities of life.  For example, biodiversity provides us with clean air and water and fertile soil.  Wood, fibre and other raw materials all come from the natural world.  Conserving Ontario’s biodiversity is key to ensuring a healthy environment, strong communities and a thriving economy.

Ontario’s 30,000 known species live in interconnected ecoystems that have evolved over thousands of years.  This is a truly amazing wealth of life – from tiny fungi to vast northern forests, from Piping Plovers to Polar Bears.  It is our responsibility, as citizens of Ontario, to conserve the species and ecosystems that are found in our province, for their own sake, for biodiversity’s sake, and for future generations.