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2023–2030
Biodiversity sustains us and enriches our lives — and we need to protect it. That’s why we are delighted to share a summary of the updated Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy.
The full strategy, with more in-depth context, background information, a glossary and references will be released soon. Check back and celebrate with us as we work together to protect what sustains us!
“Protecting the diversity of life on Earth — of which we humans are an integral part — requires broad societal consensus and participation. It is a challenge not for some of us, but for all of us (Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy, 2005).”
Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy, 2023 is our call to action and road map to conserve the genetic, species and ecosystem diversity for this and future generations.
Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy guides conservation across the province. It’s like a to-do list to help all of us take actions that will benefit biodiversity, address our changing climate, improve human health, make our communities safer and stronger, and support our economy.
The vision, mission and goals set the context of what the strategy can accomplish and what we hope the future looks like in Ontario.
Biodiversity is valued, conserved and restored, and people live in harmony within nature.
To take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss for the benefit of all living things, including people.
Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy, 2023 builds on the positive efforts of the 2005 and 2011 versions.
The Ontario Biodiversity Council led the renewal process, with support provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
The renewal team used several sources to ensure the strategy is based on the best available knowledge. These included the State of Ontario’s Biodiversity 2020 report, the Global Post-2020 Biodiversity Framework, priority actions identified during the 2021 Ontario Biodiversity Summit, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Edinburgh Declaration and others.
Broad public engagement helped make sure that many different perspectives were considered, including seeking feedback from a wide geographic and demographic range. People were invited to submit their comments using an online workbook and by participating in a free webinar. Many Council members hosted information sessions to encourage and collect feedback.
More than 1,100 comments were considered following the public engagement, and the draft mission, vision, goals, targets and actions were updated to incorporate what we heard.
To conserve biodiversity we have to address ways that humans destroy and degrade it, in Ontario and around the globe.
To successfully protect biodiversity, we need a ‘whole of society approach’. This means all of us — the private sector, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, individuals, and all levels of government, work together to implement this strategy.
By finding unique ways to collaborate, and by creating new partnerships to focus on common goals, we can address the causes of biodiversity loss and begin to reverse the damage already done.
We can’t live without nature’s help; and nature can’t live without our help. We must protect our planet’s biodiversity to safeguard the future of our ecosystems, our climate, our health — and our humanity – United Nations Foundation
Biodiversity sustains us and enriches our lives — and we need to protect it.
Globally, we are losing biodiversity at an alarming rate. It is estimated that wildlife populations around the world have declined by 69 per cent since 1970, and up to one million species are threatened by extinction (WWF Living Planet Report 2022).
Scientists around the world are calling for immediate, transformative, and urgent actions to address the causes of biodiversity loss, climate change, and ecosystem degradation. It will require changes on many fronts including a more integrated response to achieve the multiple benefits we seek for biodiversity, climate and human well-being and prosperity. We need to break down the silos of our conventional approaches.
In Ontario, we are losing biodiversity faster than we are conserving it (SOBR 2021). Some of our efforts to protect and restore biodiversity are having a positive impact, but more effort is needed to reverse this trend.
Biodiversity loss isn’t just an environmental issue. It impacts our families, our neighbourhoods, our economy, our workplaces, and our physical and mental health. It impacts food security, the climate, the air we breathe and the water we drink.
We know that most people in Ontario understand what biodiversity is, and recognize its importance to their lives. It’s now time to turn that awareness into urgent action, to protect what sustains us.
The targets have end dates of 2025 and 2030, because that’s when we will report on our progress via the State of Ontario’s Biodiversity. Work towards achieving them can and should take place as quickly and effectively as possible.
The targets and actions are not a complete list of everything that needs to be done in Ontario. The Ontario Biodiversity Council acknowledges that more specific actions may be required to address local or regional conservation priorities.
Five strategic directions reflect the key components required to conserve biodiversity: Empower people, Reduce threats, Enhance resilience, Improve knowledge, Transform investments
Each strategic direction includes targets and actions to focus our efforts and guide actions and activities from all sectors.
Strategic Directions: Empower people, Reduce threats, Enhance resilience, Improve knowledge, Transform investments
This strategic direction includes ways to encourage more active and inclusive participation in biodiversity conservation and integrate biodiversity values into all sectors of the economy.
Society is more aware of the importance of biodiversity and its main threats. While awareness is growing, we are still not doing enough to stop biodiversity loss in Ontario.
Target | By 2025, sectors have developed action plans in support of Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy and by 2030 those plans are being implemented.
Target | By 2025, the capacity for people to conserve biodiversity is increased and by 2030 people are taking action to protect and care for biodiversity in their daily lives.
Target | By 2030, biodiversity conservation programs and actions are inclusive, equitable and reflect Indigenous knowledge and diverse perspectives.
This strategy is for everyone who lives and works in Ontario. We hope all people and organizations see actions and a role for themselves within it. When we say ‘sectors’ we mean everyone. Examples of sectors include those that:
Mainstreaming biodiversity means integrating biodiversity into decision making so that it becomes everyone’s business and is part of our day-to-day lives. As individuals and citizens, we are responsible for taking good care of the resources we use and upon which we depend. From the purchases we make at the grocery store to the flowers we plant in our gardens and the decisions made in managing our businesses or providing services in our communities, we all impact biodiversity. Our choices and actions will ultimately determine the state of biodiversity now and in the future.
Strategic Directions: Empower people, Reduce threats, Enhance resilience, Improve knowledge, Transform investments
This strategic direction includes ways to improve the condition of species and ecosystems and help prevent further biodiversity loss by reducing and removing the threats to biodiversity and their impacts.
To conserve biodiversity we have to address ways that humans destroy and degrade it, in Ontario and around the globe.
Target | By 2030 land use planning approaches to maintain and enhance biodiversity, such as natural heritage systems, are implemented at local, regional, and provincial levels.
Target | By 2030, the harmful impacts of invasive species on biodiversity are further reduced.
Target | By 2030, the release of ecologically damaging pollutants is reduced to a level that is not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Target | By 2030, the impacts of climate change on biodiversity are minimized and biodiversity is enhanced to support climate mitigation and adaptation.
Target | By 2030, Ontario’s per-capita resource consumption and waste generation is reduced and is within Ontario’s biocapacity limits.
Habitat loss and land use change have the largest and most immediate negative impact on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Less habitat can reduce a species’ population size as well as the genetic diversity within a species.
The pace at which urban areas are growing and spreading also has major impacts to the land and natural areas. Loss of ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and grasslands affect ecosystem services (e.g., clean air, water, carbon sequestration, etc.) and can result in an increased risk of flooding, poorer air and water quality and increased carbon emissions.
Loss of habitat is the primary threat to biodiversity in Ontario. Habitat loss is most serious in southern Ontario, where urbanization, agriculture and road density are greatest — and where some of the province’s rarest biodiversity is found, such as alvars and tallgrass prairies.
Plant and animal species are less resilient to external pressures when the ecological communities of which they are a part of are changed, when populations become isolated from one another or when humans interfere with natural ecological processes (e.g., prevention of natural disturbances such as forest fires or insect and disease outbreaks). Habitat loss, including destruction, alteration and fragmentation, affects the well-being and survival of individual populations, as well as species, and can affect the function of entire ecosystems and the ecosystem services on which we depend.
Resource extraction, hydroelectric power development and the construction of roads and bridges can all impact biodiversity through habitat changes and degradation of local water bodies. Intensive recreational activities can also harm local vegetation, pollute waterways and disturb wildlife. The cumulative impact of a series of seemingly small habitat losses can be significant.
Population growth is one of the main pressures on Ontario’s biodiversity. Ontario’s population is estimated at 15.3 million in 2023 (Statistics Canada, 2023) and is predicted to grow to 20.4 million by 2046 (OMOF, 2022). Population growth increases our ecological footprint – the demand we place on nature.
Most population growth will occur in southern Ontario, where the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone is already under significant stress. Urban sprawl, fragmentation of natural areas, increased greenhouse gas emissions, loss of prime agricultural land, and increased consumption of natural resources are all caused by population growth. Without hard work to reduce these pressures, both individually and collectively, biodiversity will continue to be eroded by our growing population.
Overconsumption and unsustainable use negatively affect biodiversity. Over-using or wasting food and products (e.g., a large ecological footprint) requires more land, leaving less space for healthy natural areas. Making products and food that are thrown away unnecessarily increases pollution and depletes healthy ecosystems.
Ontario residents place high demands on the planet’s natural resources. The average per-person consumption of natural resources in Ontario, as measured by the Ecological Footprint, is very high. Ontario’s per-capita Ecological Footprint (of consumption) in 2015 ranked the 12th highest in the world when compared to other Countries, while Canada ranked 6th (Miller, et al., 2021). We are currently consuming our natural resources at a rate four times the global average and are at the limit of the province’s biocapacity. Our large and growing human population coupled with our high Ecological Footprint are a major impediment to the conservation of Ontario’s biodiversity and have impacts beyond our borders. To reduce negative impacts on biodiversity, we must individually and collectively limit our Ecological Footprint by lowering our consumption and the waste we generate to “fit” within Ontario’s borders.
Unsustainable use is the harvesting of species at a rate higher than can be sustained by the natural reproductive capacity of the population being harvested. Unsustainable use can affect genetic diversity, local populations and ecosystems and, in turn, our economy and society. Historically, unregulated and unsustainable harvest was a major threat to several species in Ontario. The development of natural resources management programs, the regulation of harvests through education and effective enforcement and a commitment to conservation among the fishing, hunting and trapping communities have led to sustainable harvest of fish and wildlife species today. The legislative and policy framework for the management of Crown forests also ensures their sustainable harvest.
Programs to manage harvests have been largely successful. Unregulated, unsustainable and/or illegal harvest of some species remains a concern. Outside of protected areas, the harvest of most Ontario plant species is not regulated. For example, the harvest of wild American ginseng, which is used for medicinal purposes, is one of the main threats to this endangered species. Harvest of wild populations is now illegal under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. Several of Ontario’s protected reptile species are harvested illegally for the pet trade. Although this may not be a widespread problem, the combined effects of illegal harvests and other stressors, such as habitat loss and road mortality, are taking their toll on these species.
Climate change is an increasing threat to biodiversity. Climate change affects biodiversity through changes in air and water temperatures, changes to precipitation patterns and extreme weather which can make habitats unsuitable for native species. Climate change is also compounding the impacts of other threats to biodiversity such as by increasing the spread and range of invasive species and diseases.
Ontario’s climate is changing. Ontario is experiencing warming air and water temperatures, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and changing precipitation patterns. Parts of the province have become slightly wetter, and more winter precipitation is falling as rain. Drier summer conditions are being felt in some regions because of reduced snow accumulation, soil moisture, spring runoff and rising temperatures. Many plant and animal species are moving, leading to new species interactions, spread of diseases and declining health.
The impacts are leading to unprecedented and transformative changes to the natural environment, and many changes may be irreversible. Ontario’s ecosystems, communities and resource economies are vulnerable.
We are already observing impacts to Ontario’s biodiversity from a changing climate. For example:
Pollution needs to be reduced from all sources to levels that are not harmful to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and human health. This includes reducing nutrients lost to the environment, pesticides and eliminating the discharge of plastic waste as well as air, light and noise pollution.
We release pollution into the air (e.g., sulphur and nitrogen oxides, particulate matter), soil (e.g., pesticides and heavy metals) and water (e.g., nitrates and phosphates). Tens of thousands of pollutants are currently circulating through the Earth’s ecosystems, and many of them are having significant, large-scale impacts on biodiversity. For example, pollution is responsible for causing acid rain falling on boreal and deciduous forests and associated aquatic ecosystems.
Pollution can also disrupt ecological processes. Manufactured chemicals and other pollutants contribute to a variety of health issues in both wildlife and humans, including cancer, birth defects, behavioural changes and chronic illness. Synthetic chemicals that block, mimic or interfere with natural hormone production (known as endocrine disruptors) can cause abnormalities in reproduction, growth and development, particularly in fish and amphibians. Some chemicals deplete the ozone layer, which allows more ultraviolet (UV) radiation to reach the Earth. UV rays can be especially damaging to ecosystems in the early spring, when vegetation is young and fish and frogs are laying their eggs in shallow water. Humans and some food crops are also at risk from higher levels of UV radiation (e.g., skin cancer in humans). Our urban and industrial development has increased the amount of light falling on ecosystems and there is a growing concern about this light pollution and its impacts on biodiversity — the disorientation of migrating birds, for instance, or changes in amphibian behaviour and disruptions in plant dormancy.
While the levels of many contaminants have decreased in Ontario, associated with regulatory controls and industry efforts, the deposition of excessive nutrients, as well as metals and other substances remains a concern for many of our ecosystems. Ground-level ozone in the southern portion of the province continues to rise, posing a risk to human health and to the vegetation communities that are fundamental to our biodiversity.
Invasive species can be any plant, animal or micro-organism that is introduced by human action outside of its natural past or present distribution and whose introduction or spread threatens the environment, the economy or society, including human health.
When introduced into new ecosystems, invasive species can become novel predators, competitors, parasites, hybridizers, and diseases of native plants and animals. Once established, the ecological effects of invasive species can be irreversible, the costs of control are significant, and even with sustained efforts eradication may not always be possible.
Invasive species are one of the main threats to biodiversity at the global and national levels and are also a significant ecological threat to Ontario. The impact of invasive species to Ontario’s biodiversity is second only to habitat loss. Through their impacts to the natural environment, they pose a significant risk to Ontario’s natural areas and the outdoor recreational activities that they support. Not only do these impacts affect the well-being and ability of Ontarians to enjoy nature, but they also represent a significant threat to Ontario’s economy.
Examples of invasive species that have had negative ecological impacts in Ontario include: Invasive Phragmites which has caused considerable habitat losses for wetland–dependent wildlife, including numerous species at risk; Zebra and Quagga Mussels which have led to significant changes to aquatic ecosystems within the Great Lakes and beyond; and Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive wood-boring beetle that has already caused extensive damage to ash tree populations in Ontario.
Ontario has had more non-native species establish within its borders than any other Canadian province or territory and will continue to be susceptible to invasive species introductions and spread. This is in part because Ontario has a large, diverse population that is both locally and globally mobile, and supports an active, growing economy that imports goods from all over the world. In addition, much of the habitat in southern Ontario has been altered or disturbed, further increasing susceptibility to new invasions. Finally, climate change also poses an additional threat that could facilitate new invasions into Ontario and promote the spread of invasive species that are already established.
Pressures on Ontario’s biodiversity are often treated as if they act in isolation. In reality, Ontario’s species and ecosystems often face several threats at the same time, and in many cases, these threats are inextricably linked. This can involve multiple instances of the same type of threat (e.g., numerous water withdrawals in one watershed) or different threats acting on the same system (e.g., fragmentation of forest habitat along with invasive species). When combined, these threats to biodiversity have a far greater negative effect than any one threat on its own. Multiple threats impact both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and can result in a slower recovery time following disturbance.
The broad range of threats to biodiversity requires an integrated, adaptive conservation approach that involves all sectors of society. The loss or degradation of biodiversity not only affects ecosystem function but also damages society’s ability to generate wealth and support livelihoods. Individuals, businesses and agencies, therefore, have a role to play in biodiversity conservation.
Nature-based solutions are activities that use nature to help address big societal problems, such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, and protecting human health and wellbeing. Nature-based solutions are different from typical conservation actions, because they tackle multiple problems at the same time by working with nature, usually at a lower cost, and creating multiple benefits for people and the planet.
Using nature as a solution can help us sustainably manage, restore and protect ecosystems and land to reduce biodiversity loss and mitigate and adapt to climate change. They harness the power of natural systems and biodiversity and provide many benefits that support human health and well-being. This includes food and water security, air and water quality, outdoor recreational opportunities, and job creation.
Nature-based solutions like restoring ecosystems and protecting natural areas can help to mitigate climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in plants and soil. They can help us adapt to climate change by enhancing ecosystem and landscape resilience to natural hazards such as flooding, drought, and erosion.
The carbon emissions we produce are the single largest contributor to the ecological footprint. Reducing our use of fossil fuels for heating, electricity and transportation can greatly reduce our ecological footprint while moving towards a zero carbon economy. We can further reduce our ecological footprint by adopting the 5 R’s.
‘Reduce, reuse and recycle’ is a common slogan in many homes and businesses. But two more R’s have been added to the list – refuse and re-purpose. By including a few more steps to our daily consumption habits, and becoming more conscious with our product choices, we can significantly reduce the amount of waste created. Recycling, though a great tool, still causes impacts to our environment.
Consider these five steps to reduce your ecological footprint:
Strategic Directions: Empower people, Reduce threats, Enhance resilience, Improve knowledge, Transform investments
This strategic direction includes ways to maintain, restore and recover ecosystem function and protect species diversity.
Diverse ecosystems are more resilient to change. A healthy ecosystem can better withstand and recover from disturbance and stresses such as flooding, drought, extreme heat, invasive species and pollution. This helps maintain ecosystem services, like the regulation of air and water quality and protection from hazards and extreme events and also supports human health and well-being.
Target | By 2025, priority restoration areas are identified and by 2030 efforts are underway to restore biodiversity to at least 30 per cent of priority areas.
Target | By 2030 at least 30 per cent of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are conserved through well-connected networks of protected areas and conservation lands.
Target | By 2030, the conservation of species and ecosystems in Ontario is improved.
A high level of biodiversity makes species and ecosystems stronger and more stable. For example, an ecosystem with a high amount of diversity can adapt better to a wide variety of conditions, like climate change, disease, and extreme weather.
The ability of an ecosystem or species to bounce back from a disturbance like a flood, insect infestation, or forest fire and return to a balanced state is what makes it resilient. A healthier and more diverse ecosystem tends to be more resilient, meaning it will cope with change and recover more quickly.
Our understanding of the links between health and biodiversity is increasing.
The One Health approach recognizes that the health of people is connected to the health of animals and the environment and works across sectors and around the world to improve human health, prevent the outbreak of zoonotic disease, improve food safety and security, and protect biodiversity. Many of the actions included in this strategy will protect and promote human health, while also conserving biodiversity.
Most of us know that spending time in nature is good for our physical and mental health. A long walk in a green space can lower our blood pressure and heart rate and there’s even evidence that patients in hospitals recover more quickly if they have windows that have a view of trees and nature.
Biodiversity is a:
Our understanding about the importance of biodiversity to our lives and to our health is increasing. Humans live within nature — we are a part of biodiversity — and our health is very closely linked to the health of our environment. Taking steps to keep our natural spaces healthy will keep us healthy too.
There is a growing movement within the conservation community to protect biodiversity by granting it rights. Assigning rights to nature, or Mother Earth, would help to protect it legally, the same way that humans are protected by human
rights laws.
Recognizing nature as an entity that needs to be protected could help shift our legal and financial systems from operating on the belief that nature is a resource for humans to own and exploit, to a more balanced and respectful approach that ensures sustainable use of natural resources, and would hold governments and corporations accountable for harming biodiversity.
Some efforts have been successful to grant legal rights to mountains, trees, rivers, or regions. In 2021, the Innu Council of Ekuanitshit and Quebec’s Minganie Regional County Municipality declared the Mutuhekau Shipu river a legal person. The river now has nine rights including: the right to live, exist, and flow, maintain biodiversity, be free from pollution, and to sue.
Many groups have argued that environmental degradation also impacts human rights, including the right to life, health, and water with court cases being heard in Australia, the Netherlands, and the United Nations. The United Nations Human Rights Council has declared that access to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” is a human right and the United Nations General Assembly declared that “everyone on the planet has a right to a healthy environment” and encouraged its member countries to include the right to a healthy environment in national constitutions, regional treaties, and laws.
Whether or not the rights of nature are formally recognized in Ontario in the future, it’s still a concept that is valuable to help frame our conservation decisions. As explained in the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Nature, “every human being is responsible for respecting and living in harmony with Mother Earth”.
Strategic Directions: Empower people, Reduce threats, Enhance resilience, Improve knowledge, Transform investments
Indigenous Peoples have been learning from and living within the land for millennia. They continue to build and accumulate understanding and knowledge of the natural world. Scientific inquiry and study has been ongoing for centuries, and has also helped to build an understanding of biodiversity in Ontario.
This strategic direction includes ways to improve and share biodiversity knowledge, implement monitoring and evaluation, and better understand what motivates individuals and sectors to begin working towards biodiversity conservation.
Target | By 2030, Ontario’s biodiversity research, monitoring and reporting framework is improved, accessible and reflects diverse knowledge systems and perspectives.
Achieving common ground can be hard when language, power levels, ownership, scale and timeframes differ. An approach that could be helpful in this context is the creation and maintenance of “ethical space” where asymmetrical power is balanced and diverse worldviews are respectfully engaged.
“Ethical space involves creating a place for knowledge systems to interact with mutual respect, kindness, generosity, and other basic values and principles. It is based on the belief that all knowledge systems are equal.” –We Rise Together, Indigenous Circle of Experts
Creating a collaborative space within conservation work can provide new insights and approaches in environmental stewardship and can challenge the prevailing conservation management systems. Unlike Western approaches, which focus mainly on human perspectives, ethical space in conservation can help ensure that the well-being of all creatures is considered.
Strategic Directions: Empower people, Reduce threats, Enhance resilience, Improve knowledge, Transform investments
This strategic direction includes new and innovative ways to improve the ways we value biodiversity, generate economic growth, and fund conservation.
While our understanding of the importance of biodiversity has increased, a fundamental shift in how we value it is long overdue. Biodiversity has to be included in balance sheets and the cost of inaction must be calculated so that we better understand and manage biodiversity and its role as the foundation for our economy and our communities.
Target | By 2030, biodiversity considerations are integrated into the public and private sectors including through budgeting, funding, investments and financial disclosure.
Biodiversity provides ecosystem goods and services that we rely on everyday, however the values they provide are often missed or hidden unless they are a marketable product, e.g., timber, fishing. However, non-marketable outputs, e.g clean air, are just as important and evidence suggests that leaving biodiversity out of the economic valuation and accounting has eroded economic opportunities and contributed to negative costs and impacts to society and the environment.
Investing in biodiversity has positive economic benefits and can stimulate demand for products and services of local businesses (e.g., plant nurseries, aggregates, equipment). Cooperation between the Ontario government, non-government organizations and the private sector, for example, has resulted in an increased consideration of biodiversity values in land management (for example, sustainable forest management).
Another way to invest in biodiversity is through job creation. Creating jobs in conservation helps the transition to a green economy, since these jobs will be beneficial to nature and the economy in the long run, rather than being phased out or outright destructive.
Traditionally, development is based on a model of economic growth, without considering the ecological costs. We measure our collective success primarily by economic indicators, such as the gross domestic product. And although a strong business case can be made to live within the means of nature — because healthy ecosystems sustain healthy people and a healthy economy — we do not incorporate nature into the balance sheets of companies, communities or countries.
Our economic measures focus on income, not on the state of the natural capital that is the underpinning of our communities and economy. As a result, biodiversity losses are not accounted for as a decline in economic wealth. However, many companies, communities and countries are now realizing the value of healthy natural ecosystems. Research has shown that the ecosystem services arising from biodiversity in southern Ontario alone, such as pollination, water storage and purification, are worth many billions of dollars that are missing from the balance sheets that inform our decisions.
In addition to providing us with the necessities of life, biodiversity fuels our economy, and despite its critical role in our individual and collective prosperity, its economic value is largely un-accounted for. Tourism, fishing, agriculture, forestry and many other industries rely on biodiversity. Ontario’s agricultural sector employs more than 67,000 people; this sector contributed $9.2 billion to the provincial economy in 2021 accounting for 1.2 per cent of Ontario’s total GDP (Government of Canada, 2022). Ontario’s forestry industry is responsible for over 149,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs across the province (2020 data), with total revenue of the forest sector at $18 billion in 2020 (OMNRF, 2022).
In the past, we did not assign an economic value to nature unless it produced a commodity that could be bought and sold in the marketplace. We now have better tools to help us understand the value of the added benefits from nature: its “ecosystem services.” Evidence suggests that leaving biodiversity out of economic valuation and accounting has eroded economic opportunities and contributed to negative costs and impacts to society and the environment.
It has been estimated that the total annual value of ecosystem services provided by southern Ontario landcover is 50.2 billion/year (SOURCE to be added). Taking into account the true value of biodiversity in every form will improve our ability to make sound conservation and development decisions to protect these precious services.
The conservation of biodiversity in the province will be greatly strengthened when these true values are incorporated into the everyday decision making of governments, business, communities, and individuals, creating a nature-positive economy. Incentive programs to reward biodiversity conservation efforts will be helpful in this regard, as will consumer choice for environmentally friendly and sustainably sourced products.
Efforts to protect and restore Ontario’s biodiversity have increased over the past decade due to the greater involvement of people, groups and businesses in private-land stewardship programs and some small increments in government funding.
Unfortunately, these conservation efforts have not been able to halt the continued loss of the province’s biodiversity. Given the economic value of biodiversity and its importance in supporting the health of Ontario’s communities and economy, government and non-government sectors must allocate greater resources to protect, maintain, restore, understand and monitor biodiversity.
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