As a Biologist working in…

As a Biologist working in southern Ontario, I strongly oppose the consolidation of conservation authorities in Ontario. Ontario is unique in that it is the only province in the country that has conservation authorities to manage its land and resources. These LOCAL authorities have existed for almost a century, and play a key role in protecting species at risk by protecting habitat and contributing to population recovery initiatives. There is a reason that the size of the current conservation authorities was delineated when they were created: the emphasis is on local stewardship and management. Each conservation authority possesses the local knowledge and resources necessary to protect and conserve its respective watershed. Combining conservation authorities and extending the current boundaries will result in a harmful dilution of conservation efforts and management. As a result, these areas will no longer receive effective management due to already-limited resources spread across far too large an area.