Establishing and implementing a robust Natural Heritage System (NHS) across the region supports Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) objective for a healthy ecosystem and community well-being.
What Is a Natural Heritage System?
“Natural heritage system means a system made up of ‘natural heritage features and areas’, linked by natural corridors which are necessary to maintain biological and geological diversity, natural functions, viable populations of indigenous species and ecosystems. These systems can include lands that have been restored and areas with the potential to be restored to a natural state.” — Provincial Policy Statement 2005, Section 6.0 Definitions
Select the image below to learn more about the natural heritage system of the Toronto region.
Visit TRCA’s Watershed & Ecosystems Reporting Hub
TRCA’s Natural Heritage System Strategy
TRCA developed a Terrestrial Natural Heritage System Strategy in 2007 with support from its municipal partners.
The strategy aimed to establish, protect, and restore a strategic network of existing natural cover including forest, wetland, meadow, successional, beach and bluff along with additional natural areas targeted for restoration across the TRCA’s jurisdiction.
Together these areas support TRCA’s and its municipal partners’ shared goals and objectives for regional biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and related ecosystem services such as aquatic system health, flood protection, pest reduction, increased recreation, and aesthetic opportunities that are vital for community health.
Natural Heritage System Strategy:
DOCUMENTS
- TRCA Updated Target Natural Heritage System: A Summary Report (2022)
- TRCA Terrestrial Natural Heritage System Strategy (2007):
- NHS for Watershed Planning (2018-ongoing):
TRCA’s Updated Regional Target NHS
In 2022, building on the principles the Terrestrial Natural Heritage System Strategy (2007), TRCA completed an update to the technical component of the Strategy. Using updated data and an integrated approach, TRCA’s updated regional target NHS (2022) identifies key natural heritage features and areas that are important for terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem across the landscape.
Select the image below to learn more about the updated regional target NHS.
Contact
TRCA Watershed Planning and Ecosystem Science: wpes@trca.ca