Natural Heritage System and Restoration Strategy Targets
Restoration Strategy Targets
The Natural Heritage System and Restoration Strategy outlines opportunities for enhancement and protection, with the goal of restoring the watershed to its natural state. This strategy supports the enhancement of targeted areas such as grassland habitat and corridor restoration, as well as creates regional and local linkages to provide connectivity across the watershed.
With the help of our stakeholders and partners, we will implement the following 39 actions to achieve a sustainable and resilient Natural Heritage System. The 39 actions are categorized into 6 different areas and supported through various LSRCA programs.
Protection
Actions:
Implement the NHSRS through review and comment of land development applications under the Planning Act, Environmental Assessment Act and Conservation Authorities Act.
Timeframe – Ongoing
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Encourage the incorporation of the NHSRS and its recommendations into Provincial Plans and regional and local Official Plans
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Planning and Development Services
Engage stakeholders of the watershed to protect, restore and enhance the targeted areas of the NHS in addition to core features
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Education and Engagement
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Integrate the NHS and associated strategies into subwatershed plans and implementation guidelines
Timeframe – Ongoing
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Assist partners to protect, restore and enhance grassland habitat identified in the NHS
Timeframe – Within 5 years
Ecological Management
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Protect, maintain or enhance ecologically significant groundwater recharge areas
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Education and Engagement
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Integrate the NHSRS into existing and future LSRCA strategies, plans and guidelines, where appropriate.
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Incorporate the NHSRS into sustainable centered strategies, projects and programs such as Low Impact Development (LID) guidelines, RainScaping program, and Carbon Reduction Strategy.
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Land Planning Management
Actions:
Monitoring and Data Collection
Incorporate the NHS into Conservation Area Management Plans and land holding assessments
Timeframe – Within 3 years
Greenspace Services
Incorporate the NHS into the Land Management Acquisition Strategy prioritizing areas for acquisition, restoration and creation
Timeframe – Within 3 years
Greenspace Services
Create trail guidelines that lessen impacts to the NHS while bringing communities to natural areas
Timeframe – Within 3 years
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Implement green infrastructure such as parklands, LID SWM systems, street trees, urban forests, natural channels, permeable surfaces and green roofs
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Integrate current and future data collection and monitoring programs with the NHS to maintain high quality and useful database records
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Education and Engagement
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Integrate the NHS into long-term monitoring programs including prescribed targets that align with the restoration strategy such as the Watershed Health Report Card
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Inventory areas that will be vulnerable to changes in land use practice and/or climate change and develop mitigation measures and management opportunities
Timeframe – Within 5 years
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Continue monitoring programs within the NHS that collect information regarding aquatic and terrestrial barriers in order to determine management opportunities
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Update the landcover layer on a 5 year monitoring cycle and assess changes to NHS cover and related causal factors
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Partner with the MNRF & MOECC, or similar Lake Simcoe watershed programs to identify high quality areas in the Lake Simcoe watershed and initiate a monitoring program to monitor the quality of the NHS at the regional and local scale
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Actions:
Research and Tools
Integrate current and future data collection and monitoring programs with the NHS to maintain high quality and useful database records
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Education and Engagement
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Integrate the NHS into long-term monitoring programs including prescribed targets that align with the restoration strategy such as the Watershed Health Report Card
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Inventory areas that will be vulnerable to changes in land use practice and/or climate change and develop mitigation measures and management opportunities
Timeframe – Within 5 years
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Continue monitoring programs within the NHS that collect information regarding aquatic and terrestrial barriers in order to determine management opportunities
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Update the landcover layer on a 5 year monitoring cycle and assess changes to NHS cover and related causal factors
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Partner with the MNRF & MOECC, or similar Lake Simcoe watershed programs to identify high quality areas in the Lake Simcoe watershed and initiate a monitoring program to monitor the quality of the NHS at the regional and local scale
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Actions:
Integrate the NHS into the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan and Adapting Forestry Programs for Climate Change to assist with identifying priority areas for migration corridors and afforestation that both sequester carbon and promote biodiversity resilience in the NHS
Timeframe – Within 3 years
Ecological Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Develop a tributary Fisheries Management Plan and accompanying Coldwater or Brook Trout Recovery Strategy
Timeframe – Within 5 years
Ecological Management
Utilize the NHS to support the initiatives of the LSRCA Restoration Funding Program
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Develop tools for restoration, such as planting guidelines and edge management plans
Timeframe – Within 3 years
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Utilize the NHSRS as a tool to achieve targets for Lake Simcoe like reducing nutrient and pollutant loading and improving ecological health
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Utilize the NHSRS to drive research in carbon reduction, climate change, urban restoration, natural capital, LID macro-economic modelling, e-flows, phosphorous offsetting, ecological offsetting, water balance offsetting and salt reduction
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Explore the benefits of human health and nature with partners in the watershed to support planning and decision making of resource capital
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Develop and implement tools that reduce pressures and enhance ecosystem services in urban systems
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Use research from urban forest studies to promote enhancement in targeted NHS supporting areas within settlement boundaries
Timeframe – Within 5 years
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Prioritize opportunities within the NHS using the SPOT to achieve targets of the NHSRS
Timeframe – Within 1 year
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Prioritize removal of aquatic and terrestrial barriers in the NHS identified with the SPOT to improve migration corridors
Timeframe – Within 1 year
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Develop a GIS viewer tool for staff to support program uptake of the NHSRS
Timeframe – Within 1 year
Corporate Services
Greenspace Services
Outreach and Education
Actions:
Provide support for restoration projects to protect, connect and enhance core NHS and supporting areas on rural agricultural, residential, conservation authority, and public properties
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Develop new and/or expand existing stewardship incentives to watershed stakeholders that encourage land and water best management practices
Timeframe – Within 5 years
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Incorporate the NHSRS into landowner outreach materials and programs
Timeframe – Within 2 years
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Planning and Development Services
Engage stakeholders of the watershed, including residents, corporations, and academia institutions, in the protection, enhancement and restoration of the NHS
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Integrate objectives of the NHSRS into citizen science programs to fill data gaps, improve observations in the watershed and support monitoring of the watershed, including BioBlitz events and research activities
Timeframe – Ongoing
Ecological Management
Education and Engagement
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Develop or modify education materials to engage school and community programs and build appreciation and recognition of the NHS
Timeframe – Within 3 years
Corporate Services
Education and Engagement
Planning and Development Services
Report results of the NHSRS in LSRCA communication materials, such as annual reports, watershed health reports and science newsletters
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Planning and Development Services
Partnerships
Actions:
Build on existing partnerships with watershed stakeholders to collaborate on the protection, restoration, management and monitoring objectives of the NHSRS
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Education and Engagement
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies
Collaborate with municipalities, First Nation’s communities, conservation authorities, NGOs, public organizations and the Province to connect natural heritage systems and promote consistent protection for natural heritage systems across the watershed and southern Ontario
Timeframe – Ongoing
Corporate Services
Ecological Management
Education and Engagement
Greenspace Services
Planning and Development Services
Water Risk Management
Watershed Studies and Strategies