ECA secures funding for geospatial, ecology study
The Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA) has no interest in becoming another layer of bureaucracy for landowners to battle, according to executive director Jarvis Strong. The ECA has spent the last two years educating the community about the conservation corridor concept, and working to secure voluntary participation.
“Contrary to what you may have heard, we are not trying to create a giant provincial park. We are not trying to become another legislative body. We hope that through education and sharing of information, we can help people see the value in creating a nature corridor to protect biodiversity and sensitive habitats,” said Strong.
The ECA was originally formed in response to concerns about large developments proposed for the Talisman lands and Castle Glen. It has since morphed to focus on building strong community support for an innovative conservation approach across the Niagara Escarpment and the Greenbelt of South Georgian Bay, that stitches together increasingly fragmented natural areas, creating a mosaic of linked ecosystems.
Strong says a new partnership with the Greenbelt Foundation (GF) will provide vital funding to develop a geospatial “road map.”
“We are thrilled to announce that the Greenbelt Foundation has committed $85,000 as lead funder for this initiative which is a significant milestone in our vision to establish a connected ecological corridor,” said Strong. “RBC is contributing support through its Tech for Nature fund.”
This new funding, he says, will allow the alliance to move from an idea to a more formal, data-backed plan.
The work will happen over the next 16 months. Phase 1 will involve creation of a centralized data base aggregating information from the
province, counties and watershed associations as well as satellite imagery and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data to broadly identify areas which are likely to have the highest concentration of “at risk” species and areas of significant habitat.
Starting in the spring, scientists will be “ground truthing” i.e. physically examining select areas identified in Phase 1. The total area to be studied is roughly 185,000 hectares, so only a small sampling of areas will get the “boots on the ground” treatment. Strong says the goal is to create maps identifying the areas which are the highest priority for protection and connection.
“Then we’ll start reaching out to landowners to talk about what conservation might look like on their property. For example, we might identify a 50-acre parcel where 20 per cent of the land is habitat along a waterway that is home to species at risk. One possible outcome could be a conservation easement where the ECA or a conservation authority would become legally responsible for stewardship of that 20 per cent and the land owner would receive a tax credit. Or it could simply be a matter of helping the landowner understand how to live in grace and harmony with the natural environment,” said Strong, stressing that participation will be voluntary.
One day, he imagines a nature corridor will link environmentally significant areas all the way from the Pretty River watershed to Kolapore, allowing free movement of wildlife. He says that vision must be supported by data. Creemore is at the southeast corner of the study area and will play an integral role in development of a corridor. An ECA information session in May 2024 revealed significant community support, and Strong says they will be back with an update early in 2025.
Challenges to connecting ecosystems persist
There are nearly 1,000,000 species worldwide at risk of extinction, according to Dr. Kelly Cerialo, and the most effective conservation measures are bottom up starting with community involvement and cross- sector participation.
Cerialo is an Associate Professor at Paul Smith College in New York, and the Coordinator of the US Biosphere Network. In her keynote address at the Nature Corridor Summit at Alpine Ski Club near Collingwood on Oct. 25, Cerialo told a crowd of roughly 260 delegates, “The unimpeded movement of species and flow of natural processes sustain life on earth.”
She said ecological corridors are clearly defined geographical spaces governed and managed over the long term to maintain or restore connectivity.
Great strides are being made in protecting sensitive territory, according to Cerialo. In 1990 only 7.7 per cent of global land was protected in terrestrial conservation areas. By 2023, that number had risen to 17.7 per cent, but still, only 7.4 per cent of territories are both protected and connected.
Cerialo says that by connecting ecosystems, the natural environment becomes more resilient to invasive species, disease and natural disasters.
The biggest challenges to connected conservation, she says, are land use conflicts, lack of systematic conservation planning, lack of collaboration across borders and sectors, and limited funding and resources. Cerialo praised the efforts of the Escarpment Corridor Alliance (ECA) but noted there is still much to be done.
Jarvis Strong, executive director of the ECA, described the summit as a day of optimism and hope. The ECA was founded three years ago in response to concerns about proposed developments at Talisman and Castle Glen.
“Since then, we have developed strong alliances with other groups committed to connecting and protecting ecologically sensitive lands,” said Strong. “We are working closely with government, Indigenous peoples and key stakeholders like the agricultural community to focus on land conservation and the most efficient approach to maintaining biodiversity.”
The ECA recently embarked on an Ecological Corridor Identification Project, aimed at developing a geospatial map for a nature corridor to span the Niagara Escarpment and Southern Georgian Bay.
