Appendix A: a description of ramsar sites, biosphere reserves, Carolinian Canada sites and western hemisphere shorebird reserve network and their application in land use planning

Appendix A provides a description of natural heritage features and areas that have been recognised as significant at the international or national level. Due to their recognition by the scientific community, planning authorities are also encouraged to recognise these sites.

Ramsar sites

A Ramsar site is a wetland designated under the Convention on Wetlands as internationally significant based on a variety of criteria including ecological, biological and hydrological functions and values.

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, often referred to as the Ramsar Convention from its place of adoption in 1971 in Iran, is an international treaty, which provides the framework for international cooperation for the conservation of wetland habitats.

Canada became a Contracting Party to the Ramsar Convention in 1981. Contracting Parties to the Convention recognise that wetlands are essential not only for their hydrological and ecological processes, but also for the rich fauna and flora they support. The broad objectives of the Convention are to stem the loss of wetlands and to ensure their conservation and sustainable use for future generations. There are presently 114 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 975 wetland sites, totalling 70.7 million hectares designated for inclusion in the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance.

There are three criteria for identifying Wetlands of International Importance. They are:

1. Quantitative criteria for identifying wetlands of importance to waterfowl.

   A wetland should be considered internationally important if it:

   1. regularly supports either 10,000 ducks, geese and swans; or 10,000 coots; or 20,000 waders (shorebirds), or
   2. regularly supports one percent of the individuals in a population of one species or subspecies of waterfowl, or
   3. regularly supports one percent of the breeding pairs in a population of one species or subspecies of waterfowl.
2. General criteria for identifying wetlands of importance to plants or animals.

   A wetland should be considered internationally important if it:

   1. supports an appreciable number of a rare, vulnerable or endangered species or subspecies of plant or animal, or
   2. is of special value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of a region because of the quality and peculiarities of its flora and fauna, or
   3. is of special value as the habitat of plants or animals at a critical stage of their biological cycles, or
   4. is of special value for its endemic plant or animal species or communities.
3. Criteria for assessing the value of representative or unique wetlands.

   A wetland should be considered internationally important if it is a particularly good example of a specific type of wetland characteristic of its region.

As of January 1999, Canada has designated 36 wetlands as Ramsar sites. Eight of these sites are in Ontario (Figure A-1). The wetland sites in southern Ontario have also been evaluated using the OMNR’s Wetland Evaluation System and are also designated as provincially significant wetlands. All of these wetlands are of global importance and should be recognised by planning authorities.

For additional information please refer to:

• Canadian Ramsar Site
• Canada and the Ramsar Convention
• The Ramsar List of Wetlands

Biosphere reserves

A biosphere reserve is an international designation of recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) under the Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB). The designation signifies that the area is a good example of some of the ways in which conservation objectives can be balanced with development. The term biosphere refers to the association of the designated area with the UNESCO/MAB program and the reserve means that there are some already protected sites within the biosphere reserve.

The long-range goal of the MAB is to create a worldwide network of biosphere reserves to include examples of all of the globes main ecological systems with their different patterns of human use and adaptations to them. To receive a designation, each biosphere reserve must have a protected core of undisturbed landscape, which can provide baseline data for comparison with nearby areas being managed to meet human needs. Fully functional biosphere reserves perform three main roles:

1. conservation of ecosystems and biota of particular interest
2. establishment of demonstration areas for ecologically sustainable land and resource use
3. provision of logistic support for research, monitoring, education and training related to conservation and sustainable issues

Some biosphere reserves provide sites for the monitoring of long-range transport of atmospheric pollutants, or for “integrated environmental monitoring” to correlate ecosystemic changes with pollutant loading.

As of 1999 the province Ontario has two biosphere reserves. One is the Niagara Escarpment (207,240 ha) and the other is Long Point (27,000 ha). These are very large sites and are comprised of a mix of publicly and privately owned land. One objective of the biosphere reserve program is to demonstrate through monitoring and scientific studies, a balance between conservation and development. In that regard, it is not the intent of the biosphere reserve program to exclude all development within the total area designated as a biological reserve, but rather to demonstrate how development can occur and still maintain the ecological functions and integrity of the natural landscape. Each biological reserve includes an existing protected core area.

Planning authorities that have a biosphere reserve within their jurisdiction need not be concerned about protecting all lands within the designated area. These sites have been specifically selected because they have existing protected areas that can be compared to areas that are appropriately developed. In some situations protected buffers around a core-protected area may be considered to ensure the ecological functions of the core area are maintained. This may be accomplished by identifying and protecting any one the seven components of the Natural Heritage Areas and Features Policy of the Planning Act.

For additional information, please contact:

1. Long Point Biosphere Reserve
2. Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve
3. World Biosphere Reserve

Carolinian Canada sites

Carolinian Canada is a popular name for the extreme southwest region of Ontario where the Eastern Deciduous Forest of North America has its northernmost limits. The Carolinian Life Zone is one of Canada’s most significant landscapes, where a warm climate accounts for the presence of many rare species of plants and animals.

Carolinian Canada is found south of an imaginary line which runs approximately from Grand Bend to Toronto. The climate of this region is the main reason it forms such a unique ecosystem. Often referred to as the ‘banana belt’of Canada, this zone boasts the warmest annual temperatures, the longest frost-free seasons and the mildest winters in Ontario. For example, Point Pelee near Windsor averages over 170 frost-free days while Guelph, which is just north of the Carolinian Canada boundary averages only 135 frost- free days per year.

Botanists have mapped the distribution of plants in Ontario, and have established the boundary of the Carolinian Life Zone based on the northern limits of the many species, which are found only within this region of Canada. A glance through either the Atlas of Rare Vascular Plants of Ontario or the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario will reveal many species whose range corresponds to Carolinian Canada.

Even though Carolinian Canada is small compared with other Canadian vegetation zones, making up only 1% of Canada’s total land area, it boasts a greater number of both flora and fauna species than any other ecosystem in Canada. It is estimated that some 2,200 species of herbaceous plants are found here, including 64 species of ferns, at least 110 species of grasses and over 130 different sedge species. There are 70 species of trees alone. Numerous species of reptiles and amphibians make their home primarily or entirely in this region and close to 400 species of birds have been recorded, representing over half of the species in all of Canada. Several butterflies, such as the Karner Blue and the Frosted Elfin are restricted to this region. Several mammals such as the Badger, the Gray Fox and the Virginia Opossum are primarily restricted to the Carolinian forest. Appendix H provides a list of those animals and plants that are representative of the Carolinian Life Zone of Canada (site regions 6E and 7E).

The most unique feature of the Carolinian Life Zone is the number of rare species found there. The region has one third of the rare, threatened and endangered species found in all of Canada. Sixty five percent of Ontario’s rare plants are found in this region and 40% are restricted to the Carolinian Life Zone. Appendix H provides a list of plant and animal species in Ontario and includes a description of their distribution.

The Carolinian Canada Program was established in 1984 as a partnership between government agencies and non-government conservation groups to address the special needs of the region. This program has protected 38 of the most important sites. These sites have been identified as Carolinian Canada sites and are illustrated in Figure A-2. Each site has been selected as a Carolinian Canada site because it possesses an excellent representation of a unique Carolinian life form. There is no legislation or policies specifically aimed at protecting Carolinian Canada sites. Most of these sites are protected however through the Natural Heritage Features and Areas Policy (provincially significant wetlands [PSW’s] and Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest [ANSI’s]) and by planning authorities through Endangered Species Act (ESA) designations in official plans. Table A-1 provides a list of all 38 Carolinian Canada sites, the municipal jurisdiction in which they are found, the agencies involved in their protection and the level of protection (i.e. PSW’s, ANSI’s and ESA’s).

In addition to the 38 protected Carolinian Canada sites, private landowners have been encouraged as part of the Carolinian Canada program to protect important natural features on their land. Carolinian Canada was the first region in Canada to use a voluntary handshake’stewardship agreement as a means of encouraging a commitment to conservation by private landowners. The Natural Heritage Stewardship Award is a plaque given to landowners of Carolinian Canada sites in return for a promise to protect the natural features of their land. As of 1999, 519 landowners that own over 6,000 ha in 32 different natural areas have made such agreements.

Planning authorities in the Carolinian Canada Life Zone should be aware the Carolinian Canada sites in their planning area. In most cases the sites already qualify for protection under the Natural Heritage Features and Areas Policy and/or municipal official plan designation. The lands that are under stewardship agreement may or may not be protected. A complete listing of these lands can be found in a report entitled “Report on Landowner Contact Information for the Carolinian Canada, Niagara Escarpment and Wetland Habitat Agreement Programs<” by van Hemessen, D. et al. 1995.

For more information on Carolinian Canada please contact:

1. Carolinian Coalition Canada
2. Allen, G.M., P.F.J. Eagles, S.D. Price (editors). 1990. Conserving Carolinian Canada. University of Waterloo Press, Ontario.
3. Beechey, T.J. and P.F.J. Eagles. 1985. Critical Unprotected Natural Areas in the Carolinian Life Zone of Canada.
4. Lussier, C. and P. Lawrence. 1999. Natural Heritage Planning in the Carolinian Canada Zone – Final Report. Natural Resources Centre, University of Waterloo. Technical Paper 15.
5. Van Hemessen, D., L. O’Grady and R. Martin. 1995. Report on Landowner Contact Information for the Carolinian Canada, Niagara Escarpment and Wetland Habitat Agreement Programs. Draft. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network

The Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) is an international conservation initiative designed to protect key habitats and resources used by shorebirds throughout their migration ranges. Many species of shorebirds depend on a chain of critically important sites to complete their annual migrations, and for conservation to be successful, all the links in the chain need to be preserved. Fifty-four potential and/or declared WHSRN sites for shorebirds have been identified in Canada (Morrison et al. 1985).

Four categories of WHSRN sites are recognised:

• Hemispheric sites: support at least 500,000 shorebirds annually, or 30% of a species’ flyway population. Hemispheric Sites are intended to include areas supporting major concentrations of shorebirds, with daily total reaching about 50,000 birds during migration.
• International sites: support at least 100,000 shorebirds annually, or 15% of a species’ flyway population.
• Regional sites: support at least 20,000 shorebirds annually, or 5% of a species’ flyway population.
• Endangered Species sites: are critical to the survival of endangered species (no minimum number of birds is required).

The most important habitats for shorebirds in Ontario are found along the coasts of James Bay and Hudson Bay (Figure A-3). Habitats in the south of the province are generally smaller in area and are located along the shores of the Great Lakes or of other lakes and rivers. Many of these are affected by fluctuating water levels and thus may vary in importance from year to year, depending on the amount and quality of habitat available. Most are affected by developments, pollution or by increasing recreational use by humans. Few of the numerous lakes in northern and central Ontario are thought to have habitats suitable for shorebirds.

Presqu’ille Provincial Park (Regional ?)

The long beach and point at this site provide sandy and muddy habitats that can be heavily used by shorebirds, especially when beds of washed up algae accumulate along the lakeshore. Numbers occurring in the park generally range into the hundreds for the more common species (McRae 1982, 1986), although large concentrations can occur when birds are forced down by poor weather. High counts include 5,950 and 7,000 Dunlin in 1983 and 1985, respectively (Morrison et al. 1985). McRae (1986) reported that as many as 20,000 shorebirds have been found during northward migration after the birds have been grounded by adverse whether and considers that this many may use the area during the course of a year.

Western End of Lake Ontario (Regional ?)

A complex of sites around Hamilton, including Dundas Marsh, the Windermere Basin, the Smithville Sewage Ponds, and sections of the lakeshore have been estimated to support over 20,000 shorebirds during the course of the year (Clarke 1988, ISS counts), though numbers at the individual sites do not reach levels to satisfy WHSRN criteria. The heavily polluted nature of parts of this area makes its designation as a reserve questionable.

Reference:

• Clarke, M.F.G. 1988. A proposal of the Western End of Lake Ontario as a Regional Reserve in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Unpubl. Rep. 14 pp.
• McRae, R.D. 1982. Birds of Presqu’ile, Ontario. 74 pp. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
• McRae, R.D. 1986. Presqu’ile Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. Site Guide. American Bird 40: 35-36.
• Morrison, R.I.G., R.W. Butler, G.W. Beyerbergen, H.L. Dickson, A. Bourget, P.W. Hicklin, J.P. Goossen, R.K. Ross, and C.L. Gratto-Trevor. 1995. Potential Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Sites for Shorebirds in Canada: Second Edition 1995. Canadian Wildlife Service Technical Report Series 227, 147 pp. Canadian Wildlife Service, Headquarters, Ottawa.

Table A-1. List of Carolinian Canada sites in Ontario.

Number	Site name	Jurisdiction	Agencies	NGO’s	Wetland	ANSI	ESA
1	Rouge River Valley	Toronto	Rouge Park, MNR, MTRCA	Friends of the Rouge	2	*	*
2	Iroquois Shoreline Woods	Oakville/Halton	Town of Oakville, MNR			*	*
3	Sassafras Woods	Halton	Halton RCA, MNR		1	*	*
4	Beverly Swamp	Hamilton-Wentworth	GRCA, HRCA, HamRCA, MNR			*	*
5	Dundas Valley	Hamilton-Wentworth	HamRCA, MNR		5	*	*
6	Grimbsy-Winona Escarpment and Beamer Valley	Niagara	NPCA, HamRCA, MNR, NEC			*
7	Jordan Escarpment Valley	Niagara	NPCA, MNR, NEC
8	Caistor-Canborough Slough Forest	Niagara	NPCA, MNR		2	*
9	Fonthill Sandhill Valley	Niagara	NPCA, MNR, NEC			*
10	Willoughby Clay Plain	Niagara	NPCA, MNR		1	*
11	Point Albino Peninsula Sandland Forest	Niagara	NPCA, MNR		2	*
12	Sudden Bog	Waterloo/Brant	GRCA, MNR		3	*
13	Grand River Valley Forests and Spottiswood Lakes	Waterloo/Brant	GRCA, MNR		1	*
14	Six Nations I.R. Forests	I.R.	Six Nations Eco Centre
15	Embro Upland Forest	Oxford	UTRCA, MNR		7	*
16	Oriskany Sandstone and Woodlands	Haldimand-Norfolk	LPRCA, MNR		2	*	*
17	Delphi Big Creek Valley	Haldimand-Norfolk	LPRCA, MNR	NFN	1	*	*
18	St. Williams Dwarf Oak Forest	Haldimand-Norfolk	MNR	NFN			*
19	Big Creek Valley - South Walsingham Sand Ridges	Haldimand-Norfolk	LPRCA, MNR	NFN	1&2	*	*
20	Dorchester Swamp	Middlesex	UTRCA, MNR	LAG	2	*
21	Skunk’s Misery	Kent/Middlesex	LTVCA, StCRCA, MNR		2	*
22	Catfish Creek Slope and Floodplain Forest	Elgin	CCCA, MNR		4
23	Port Franks Wetlands and Forested Dunes	Lambton	ABCA, MNR	LWI	1	*	*
24	Ausable River Valley	Lambton	ABCA, MNR	LWI		*	*
25	Plum Creek Upland Woodlots	Lambton	StCRCA, MNR	LWI	4	*	*
26	Shetland Kentucky Coffee-tree Woods	Lambton	StCRCA, MNR	LWI			*
27	Sydenham River Corridor	Lambton	StCRCA, MNR	LWI			*
28	Walpole Island I.R.	I.R.			1		*
29	Lake St. Clair Marshes	Kent	LTVCA, StCRCA, MNR		1	*
30	Sinclair’s Marsh	Kent	LTVCA, MNR			*
31	Ojibway Prairie Remnants	Essex	City of Windsor, MNR	OTPSA		*	*
32	Canard River Kentucky Coffee-tree Woods	Essex	ERCA, MNR				*
33	Big Creek Marsh	Essex	ERCA, MNR		1	*	*
34	Oxley Poison Sumac Swamp	Essex	ERCA, MNR		3	*	*
35	Cedar Creek	Essex	ERCA, MNR		3	*	*
36	Middle Point Woods	Essex	ERCA, MNR			*	*
37	Stone Road Alvar	Essex	ERCA, MNR	FON		*	*
38	Middle Island	Essex	ERCA, MNR			*	*