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© Lora Denis
Pickerel weed in wetland © Rusty Clark CC BY 2.0
Since I began volunteering for Ontario Nature last year, I have learned a lot about Ontario’s species at risk. Recently, I discovered that more than 20 percent rely on wetlands for survival. Habitat loss is the key driver of species decline, and wetlands have been hammered by development over the last century. In fact, southern Ontario has ...
Summer evenings used to be filled with the acrobatic flitting of bats chasing their next insect meal. Unfortunately, bats have vacated the night sky over much of eastern North America due to an invasive fungal disease that is decimating populations.
Dog-strangling vine © Noah Cole
In the Cadotte Lab at the University of Toronto – Scarborough, we examine the causes and consequences of invasion success, biodiversity loss and changes in ecosystem services in Toronto’s Rouge Park, which is currently transitioning into Canada’s first National Urban Park.
We received deeply disappointing news on May 28, 2015 that has galvanized us in the continued fight to protect Ontario’s wild species. Ontario’s Divisional Court upheld a provincial regulation that exempts major industries from the protection of the Endangered Species Act and allows them to kill species at-risk and destroy their habitat.
Blanding's turtle hatchlings © Scott Gillingwater
Last month, Ontario’s Divisional Court upheld the provincial regulation 176/13 which provides major industries, such as forestry, energy transmission and mining, extensive exemptions from prohibitions outlined in the once “gold standard” Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Laurel Creek Conservation Area © Carl Hiebert / Grand River Conservation Authority