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...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Russell, Ava J, Miss
Format: Text
Language:unknown
Published: Scholarship@Western 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/usri/usri2022/ReOS/127
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/context/usri/article/1435/viewcontent/USRI_Blog_Post_Exhibition_Final.pdf
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Summary: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.