Nature thrives in urban pockets
Toronto adds 68 ‘environmentally significant areas’ to its roster of protected places
If you come from the verdant, stretching wild country of Ontario, land of rolling meadows, lakes and bogs favoured by moose and snowmobilers, you might think Toronto is one big hunk of concrete with condos rising from it. You’d be wrong. Yes, the sewers routinely belch putrid gas into the street, and yes, sometimes it feels like you’re trapped in a forest of glass towers. But there are nice things about Hogtown, too.
Just ask the city’s planning department.
Municipal officials commissioned a scientific study that identified 68 new “environmentally significant areas" — ESAs — within municipal boundaries, and city council voted this month to insert them as protected zones in Toronto’s official conservation plan.
Jane Weninger, a senior environment planner with the city, explained that there were 18 ESAs in the old city of Toronto, but until now, there haven’t been any in the other former municipalities that were amalgamated in 1998. Most of these areas haven’t been identified by the province, she added, meaning it’s important for the city to officially acknowledge them.
The 68 new areas are across the city. There’s the “Silverthorn area” that hugs Etobicoke Creek, a large swath of marshy land at the mouth of the Humber River, portions of the Rosedale valley and the Don Valley, the Leslie Street Spit, sections of Toronto Island and stretches of woods along the Rouge River.
Weninger said the natural hot spots were chosen because they feature large animal habitats or harbour high biological diversity. Some include unusual landforms — the Scarborough Bluffs, for example — and rare and threatened species, such as the Blanding’s turtle, which is found in wetlands that also serve as stopover points for migratory wildlife.
“It’s quite amazing that we have so many of these high-quality natural areas that still exist,” said Weninger.
“Torontonians should be really proud.”