© Lora Denis
Peat isn’t just something you put in your garden. In fact, it may be time to re-think using peat moss altogether. Recent research suggests that Ontario’s peatlands may be our largest carbon reservoir. However, mining them impacts their ability to sequester and store carbon. With emissions on the rise, nature-based climate solutions like protecting peatlands ...
Point Pelee National Park, Marsh boardwalk © Daveynin CC BY 2.0
February 2, 2022 marks the fiftieth anniversary of World Wetlands Day. This annual event is intended to raise awareness about wetlands to reverse their ongoing decline. Alarmingly, almost 90 percent of Earth’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s. This fact mirrors the historic wetland loss we’ve witnessed in Ontario. South of the shield, the ...
December 15, 2021–Jenna Cardoso
Climate Change•Indigenous Relations•Protected Places•Stewardship and restoration•Wetlands•Wild Species
James Bay peatlands © Ray Ford
Ontario’s peatlands store the most carbon in the country – more than all the other natural ecosystems in Ontario combined – making these terrestrial wetland ecosystems an essential nature-based climate solution. Yet, only 10% of peatlands are protected in Canada. What Are Peatlands? Peatlands are wetlands such as bogs and fens. Peat is created in ...
Mer Bleue © Joe CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In Ottawa, municipal politicians are backing a project that would build a multi-lane artery across a section of the city’s Greenbelt, fragmenting habitat and impacting the edge of a wetland complex known as Mer Bleue. Alternatives exist, but city officials favour this one due to a purportedly lower construction cost. The landowner is the federal ...
The former mayor of Toronto, David Crombie, once gave me invaluable insight about how we view nature. He said, “We look at green spaces and nature as places with potential. Potential for housing, potential for strip malls, potential for highways – not as if they already have a purpose. We need to recognize they aren’t ...
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority