Faculty
Social Science
Supervisor Name
Dr. Tony Weis
Keywords
conservation, carolinian ecoregion, indigenous dispossession, ecological restoration
Description
The Carolinian ecoregion, which covers approximately 22,000 km2, and stretches northeast from the US border on the Niagara River and around the Lake Ontario shoreline to Toronto, and northwest from Grand Bend to Lake Huron, is a 'hotspot' for species diversity and richness. This region has been highly developed following European colonial development, and has also become one of the most populated areas for residents in Canada. Consequently, many species in this region are severely at risk, where the Carolinian ecoregion has a disproportionately high share of over 60% of Canada's species at risk. This blog discusses my personal experience with coming to terms with how much more attention and conservation efforts this ecoregion needs through my research, how Indigenous dispossession has affected the lives of many First Nations in this region and has contributed to the loss of ecological integrity of this region, and how people in southwestern Ontario can help to assist in ongoing conservation efforts.
Acknowledgements
Sincerest thank you to Dr. Tony Weis, the Western USRI program, and the Faculty of Social Science for their support.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Document Type
Paper
A Conservation Crisis in our Backyard; Exploring the Challenge of Advocacy and Restoration in the Carolinian Ecoregion
The Carolinian ecoregion, which covers approximately 22,000 km2, and stretches northeast from the US border on the Niagara River and around the Lake Ontario shoreline to Toronto, and northwest from Grand Bend to Lake Huron, is a 'hotspot' for species diversity and richness. This region has been highly developed following European colonial development, and has also become one of the most populated areas for residents in Canada. Consequently, many species in this region are severely at risk, where the Carolinian ecoregion has a disproportionately high share of over 60% of Canada's species at risk. This blog discusses my personal experience with coming to terms with how much more attention and conservation efforts this ecoregion needs through my research, how Indigenous dispossession has affected the lives of many First Nations in this region and has contributed to the loss of ecological integrity of this region, and how people in southwestern Ontario can help to assist in ongoing conservation efforts.