The 2021 State of Ontario’s Protected Areas Report

Ontario Parks is pleased to announce that the 2021 State of Ontario’s Protected Areas Report is now available at ontarioparks.com

Provincial parks and conservation reserves play an important role in Ontario’s efforts to conserve nature and cultural heritage and provide opportunities for tourism and recreation. Ontario’s provincial park and conservation reserve policy is founded on the concept that a naturally diverse and well managed system of protected areas supports a high quality of life for Ontario’s residents and ensures ecological, social and economic benefits now, and into the future.

The State of Ontario’s Protected Areas Report:

• provides context for the planning and management of provincial parks and conservation reserves
• outlines the degree to which representative ecosystems, biodiversity and elements of our natural and cultural heritage have been protected
• describes the ecological condition and potential pressures on the protected areas system
• looks at traditional uses, recreational, research and educational opportunities and economic values and impacts at a provincial scale

The format for the report was changed to:

• include multiple individual indicator reports covering the reporting period (at minimum) of 2010-2019
• be consistent with other provincial “state of” reporting

This new format allows each indicator report to be updated as new information becomes available, rather than waiting 10 years for a full report to be published.

Indicator reports are developed by the Ontario government and describe the condition and trend of specific parameters (indicators) over the reporting period. The reports are based on:

• ecological and socio-economic conditions and benefits
• the degree of ecological representation
• the number and area of provincial parks and conservation reserves
• known threats to ecological integrity of provincial parks and conservation reserves, and their ecological health and socio-economic benefits