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Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy (OBS), 2011 is the guiding framework for coordinating the conservation of our province’s rich variety of life and ecosystems. It builds on the positive achievements of Ontario’s 2005 strategy and sets out new and updated direction for the next 10 years. The Ontario Biodiversity Council led the renewal process, with support provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
The strategy helps Ontario do its part in relation to the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
The 2011, Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy includes a new goal, Mainstreaming Biodiversity, in addition to the two goals that were present in the 2005 strategy. Mainstreaming biodiversity means integrating biodiversity into decision making so that it becomes everyone’s business and is part of our day-today lives. The other two goals are to protect, restore and recover Ontario’s genetic, species and ecosystem diversity and related ecosystem functions and process; and to use Ontario’s biological assets sustainably.
The 2011 OBS is outcome-based and includes key actions and responsibilities and 15 clear measurable, time-bound, targets. These targets represent important areas of focus for biodiversity conservation in Ontario. The OBS actions are grouped according to the following strategic directions:
Engage People — Individually and collectively, our decisions and actions are crucial to the conservation of biodiversity in Ontario. We are not doing enough to halt the decline of Ontario’s biodiversity. To succeed in this Strategy, our attitudes and behaviours must change so that we value biodiversity appropriately and include it in our everyday decision making. Therefore, this strategic direction includes ways to improve biodiversity education, encourage active participation in biodiversity conservation through volunteerism and stewardship activities and integrate biodiversity values into all sectors through effective policies, programs and legislation.
Reduce Threats — The management and reduction of threats to biodiversity are essential to conserving Ontario’s biodiversity. We can improve the condition of species and ecosystems and help prevent further biodiversity loss by reducing the extent of significant threats to biodiversity and the impacts of existing threats. Reducing threats will also help to enhance the resilience of our ecosystems and protect the services they provide, which are so vital to our health and well-being. Critical components of this strategic direction include reduction of both direct and indirect pressures on Ontario’s biodiversity, as well as the sustainable use of our natural assets.
Enhance Resilience — Complementing our efforts to reduce threats to biodiversity, enhancing the resilience of our ecosystems (i.e., increasing their capacity to cope with change) is another important part of the Strategy. A resilient ecosystem is able to withstand and recover from stresses such as climate change, invasive species and pollution.
To effectively enhance the resilience of our ecosystems and support the directions outlined in this Strategy, we need to invest strategically to yield the greatest benefits to biodiversity, since resources for biodiversity conservation are finite. The costs and benefits of biodiversity conservation should be distributed equitably across relevant sectors.
Strategic investments, partnerships and stewardship are also an increasingly important way of identifying, prioritizing and achieving biodiversity conservation goals. 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 (e.g., sustainable forest management).
Improve Knowledge — Decades of scientific inquiry and study have expanded our understanding of Ontario’s biodiversity, but there is still much to learn. In particular, we need to better understand how Ontario’s many plants, animals and micro-organisms contribute to broader ecological functions and to the health of our environment. We also need to understand what motivates individuals and sectors to begin working toward biodiversity conservation. Long-term investment in research and monitoring and the establishment of strategic partnerships to address these knowledge gaps are essential to achieving our biodiversity goals.
In addition, biodiversity information must be interpreted for a wider audience and communicated clearly so that it can be used in decision making. Everyone must understand how their actions and choices can have an impact on biodiversity.
