To: Ontario Ministry of…

To: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry From: Credit Valley Conservation Authors: Aviva Patel, Scott Sampson, Bob Morris, Natalie Dunn, Kaitlyn McGlade, Yvette Roy Date:November 17, 2016 Re:Credit Valley Conservation comments on MNRF Discussion Paper – Building a Wildlife Management Strategy for Ontario _____________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the development of the Wildlife Management Strategy for Ontario, at this early stage. Provincial guidance regarding wildlife management is essential, as wildlife population dynamics function across large geographic areas, and a coordinated approach is necessary. General comments The discussion paper covers a wide range of topics, which will be difficult to comprehensively address in a single document. Our general comment is that it would be helpful to clarify what is within scope and beyond the scope of the strategy. There is an established framework for habitat protection in Ontario that needs to be recognized in the strategy. This includes the role of the Provincial Policy Statement and associated Natural Reference Manual, the Greenbelt Plan, Oak Ridges Moraine Plan, Niagara Escarpment Plan and Places to Grow Act. There may be gaps where existing habitat protection mechanisms are not meeting the needs of wildlife, which could be addressed in future work. Response to questions 1)Which wildlife management aspects or activities (e.g. hunting, trapping, protection of property, possession, buying, selling of wildlife, wildlife health, habitat) do you believe are most important to address within a Wildlife Management Strategy for Ontario? What do you see as the key priorities for these activities? •The above aspects should be considered as a hierarchy, with order of importance from most important to least: 1) Wildlife habitat, 2) Wildlife health, 3) Hunting & trapping, 4) Possession, buying, selling of Wildlife, and 5) Protection of property. •Habitat protection is a key priority that needs to be addressed in the strategy. Protection, restoration and enhancement of habitat are essential to the function of wildlife at the landscape scale. In southern Ontario, habitat degradation and removal is prominent due to human population growth and development. There is a need to develop improved policies that protect wildlife habitat, build connectivity of fragmented landscapes and increase the total land cover of suitable wildlife habitat. Key Priorities include: oManaging natural heritage systems at multiple scales (provincial, watershed and municipal) to maintain large, connected and representative habitats across the landscape. Under the direction of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), conservation authorities and municipalities have been developing natural heritage systems to protect habitat. This is a common practice and an important tool to build upon. •Significant Wildlife Habitat is an important and well established concept in conservation planning in Ontario, as a result of current provincial direction. Habitat based approaches to protection of Significant Wildlife Habitat need to be addressed. Designation of Significant Wildlife Habitat is a municipal responsibility under the PPS. Additional tools or support may be warranted to assist this process. •Wildlife health is also important and related to habitat protection and enhancement. oThis term should be better defined. Health is difficult to assess accurately as some species are more resilient to change/urban expansion but this does not mean the situation is ideal for their health/management. •Invasive species and hyperabundant population management are critical issues impacting Ontario’s wildlife oProvincial direction and leadership is welcome and necessary in this area, including improved invasive species management and prevention strategies to ensure rapid response to new invasions, and assist with directing limited management funds to priority areas. 2)How do you think wildlife management in Ontario might need to change to respond to the trends and issues identified in Section 4? •There may need to be consideration of different sub-strategies for southern vs. northern Ontario to take into account the differences in issues and concerns, changing demographics, and stakeholder interests in each of these regions. Additional trends in future may include species declines – the Wildlife Management Strategy needs to address this and integrate with other strategies (e.g. species at risk). •Managing road mortality is identified as a health and safety issue. It is also a broader issue for maintaining healthy wildlife populations. MNRF has traditionally dealt with road mortality as part of Species at Risk management; however it is an issue for wildlife in general. •Nuisance wildlife issues are an ongoing challenge. Provincial leadership in managing nuisance wildlife and public perceptions are welcomed. 3)Do you agree with the goals and guiding principles in Section 5? Do you have ideas for other goals or principles that could be added? •Recommend incorporating ‘Build ecosystem resiliency and redundancy through the development of natural heritage systems’. •Page 24, Principle 5 – ‘Recognize the interests and contributions of hunters and trappers’ – it may be beneficial to recognize the interests and contributions of multiple stakeholder groups and agencies rather than a single group 4)What are some actions and activities that government, organizations and individuals could take to improve wildlife management in Ontario? •Get involved in urban planning that provides opportunities to protect, restore or enhance natural heritage systems. •Recognize partnerships with other large landowners (e.g. conservation authorities, land trusts) and engage them in effective implementation of the strategy. •Develop or support a coordinated, rapid response to invasive species issues. •Develop a biodiversity offsetting framework and policies to ensure ecological gain or no net loss. •Develop restoration and management guidelines to address climate change. •Provide provincial tools and guidance to manage road mortality issues in priority areas, including ‘hot spot’ mapping, guidance documents (e.g. design standards), and research and monitoring to inform adaptive management. •Support the development of Urban Nature Parks with municipalities and conservation authorities to provide opportunities for urban residents to engage and recreate in nature to improve their understanding and appreciation. •Support development of Action Plans for Centres for Biodiversity (e.g. Credit River Watershed Natural Heritage System http://www.creditvalleyca.ca/watershed-science/our-watershed/natural-heritage-system-strategy/) or other municipal or agency biodiversity initiatives. •Manage wildlife based on ecodistricts. •Work with and train municipal and conservation authority (Planning and Parks) staff on wildlife habitat protection and management. 5)What do you think are the advantages of MNRF moving toward managing wildlife over broader areas and longer time frames? What aspects will require particular caution or attention? •Strategy needs to incorporate inventory and monitoring components, as well as ongoing modeling and analysis, to guide adaptive management. Partnerships with academia or agencies may be beneficial in leveraging best available science. [Original Comment ID: 196668]