The invasion of…

The invasion of environmentally-harmful species not native to the ecozones covered by Ontario has been a disaster for the natural landscapes in this corner of the world. But it is not only here that invasive species have been ravaging natural landscapes, but across the whole world, as invasive species are listed as one of the five biggest threats to biodiversity.
These invasions are quite visible across Ontario, with plant invasions like European Buckthorn crowding out native trees, shrubs, and other plants, turning . These plant invasions have been made easier by the introduction of invasive insect species like beech scale, emerald ash borer, and hemlock woolly adelgid, which weaken woodlands by killing thousands to millions of native trees. American Chestnut and native Elm species have been all but lost from the natural landscapes that Ontario occupies due to invasive fungi, as have populations American Beech and native Ash species declined across the province, with their wooden carcasses strewn about for all to see.

It is well known that suburban sprawl contributed to the introduction and spread of invasive species, with developed areas fragmenting natural landscapes and containing many more exotic species both intentionally and unintentionally transferred. These developed landscapes meet the conditions for what are called "disturbed areas", which are much easier for many invasive species to take root in. As such, provincial planning policy should strongly discourage sprawl and encourage densification instead.

Furthermore, since all invasive species have arrived in Ontario due to human activity, and because many invasive species only successfully spread because humans bring them there, and because removing invasive species is often a difficult, costly, and sometimes impossible task, it is necessary to increase regulations on the sale and transfer of invasive species. It is generally agreed that prevention if the best form of invasive species control, even while other forms of control are necessary.

In their November 2022 Value-for-Money Audit on the management of invasive species, Ontario's Auditor General identified thirty invasive plants that should be considered for regulation. From my experience, I can say with confidence that invasive plant species like european buckthorn, day lily, english ivy, garlic mustard goutweed, lily of the valley, miscanthus, norway maple, periwinkle, russian olive, and tree-of-heaven should be regulated. These species were all capable of visibly taking over green spaces and reducing the native biodiversity in these locations. While I am less familiar with the other species listed, I believe it is important to be, as the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

This leads into my next recommendation, which is that serious work needs to be done so that existing populations of invasive species can be controlled and removed. As of now, it is obvious that most invasive species go uncontrolled, with this being especially evident to me in the case of the invasive phragmites, or common reed. The same value-for-money audit mentioned earlier outlines that serious reforms need to be made for invasive species control to be effective. As it stands, it is clear that the provincial government does not take invasive species control and conservation seriously. Likewise, municipal governments do not have the capacity to combat invasive species as things stand. Populations of invasive species are simply allowed to remain and therefore increase, kicking the can down the road with no indication that it will ever be dealt with. This is especially true of private land, as invasive species do not heed the artificial constraints and beliefs concerning property, whereas local government is more likely to timidly avoid the issue when it comes to invasive species on private property.
The provincial government must not only change its how it approaches invasive species financially and structurally, but also by prioritizing the environment much more than it does.