More species at risk are calling the Greenbelt home. A new says Ontario must act to protect it | CBC News

Species at risk using the Greenbelt as habitat increased by nearly 70% over the past two decades. Government data from 2004, before the protected area was created, was compared with present-day records. The number of vulnerable species in the Greenbelt rose from 72 to 121 across birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and plants. The 121 species represent 42% of all species at risk in the province. The report links declines to habitat loss and pollution harms, and to increasing fragmentation from roads, cities, and infrastructure. Many species require large, intact habitat areas to move between habitats, and smaller fragmented patches contribute to declines. The Greenbelt covers over 800,000 hectares around the Greater Golden Horseshoe and restricts development in ecologically sensitive areas.

"The number of species at risk using the Greenbelt as a safe haven has jumped by nearly 70 per cent over the past two decades, a new report says as opposition critics press the government to start a long-delayed review and enhance the protected zone. The new study from the environmental charity Ontario Nature looks at available government data on species at risk in 2004, a year before the protected area was created by the province. The study traces the progress of birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and plants that were vulnerable at that time to present day, and finds that the number of species at risk in the Greenbelt has jumped from 72 to 121."

"The report says the 121 vulnerable species that inhabit the Greenbelt represent 42 per cent of the total species at risk in the province. They include animals like the the redside dace fish and the Jefferson salamander. Both are struggling because of habitat loss and harms caused by pollution, the report notes. There's increasing fragmentation from roads, cities, and other infrastructure, Morris said. A lot of species need large areas, and they need intact areas, to move from one habitat to another, and as soon as you start carving that up and leaving small patches, it leads to declines."

"The Greenbelt is an over 800,000-hectare ecologically sensitive zone around the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which was defined in 2005. It provides environmental protection and specifies where development should not occur. It reflects the growing importance of the Greenbelt for vital habitats, particularly in southern Ontario, said Tony Morris, conservation policy and campaigns director at Ontario Nature."

"WATCH | Ford government delays mandatory Greenbelt review: Critics are calling on the Ford government to launch a months-delayed review of the Greenbelt. The mandatory review is required by law and was supposed to start in February Species represent 42% of province's species at risk The report also includes eight recommendations aime"

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