Maintaining ecological…

Maintaining ecological integrity is the guiding management principle for Ontario’s provincial parks. Ontario’s Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act, passed in 2006 under the McGuinty government, enshrined the maintenance of ecological integrity as the first objective and the first guiding principle of park management. Extending the cottage leases would contradict this clear, legislated management priority for the park system in Ontario. Maintaining Rondeau’s ecological integrity is an enormous challenge, given its small size and location within the heavily developed landscape of southern Ontario.

The cottages have a negative ecological impact. The cottages in Rondeau, which extend along most of the park’s western shoreline and a portion of the eastern shoreline, are located on some of the most environmentally significant portions of the park. Simply by occupying a good portion of the land base, the cottages impede its use by wildlife. Direct harm to wildlife has also been documented. The recovery strategy for the threatened eastern foxsnake notes, for example, that some cottage owners have admitted to killing foxsnakes. Another negative impact has been the introduction of invasive non-native species, identified as a key threat to various species at risk and rare habitats found within the park. A 2008 survey of the eastern dunes of the park found numerous invasive plant species, many intentionally introduced by cottage leaseholders

It is imperative that we do not displace the biodiversity of this area and to provide proper management for the preservation of species.

[Original Comment ID: 128939]