Creating Corridors 2022 - 2024

The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Ecological Corridors Pilot Program

The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System has been selected as a pilot project by Parks Canada’s National Program for Ecological Corridors. Since December 1, 2022 EcoPark System partners have been implementing this pilot program to enhance ecological corridors between Cootes Paradise and the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton and Burlington, Ontario. The program is set to conclude on March 31, 2024. Find out more about the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Ecological Corridor Pilot Program below!

The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Ecological Corridors Pilot Program

One of the first initiatives funded by Parks Canada’s National Program for Ecological Corridors is the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Ecological Corridors Pilot Program. The Pilot Program will help the EcoPark System alliance better understand and develop the local landscape as a set of ecological corridors through partner-led projects that will:

  • Reach out to available and willing private landowners to assist with the landscape between protected areas.

  • Investigate opportunities to protect additional areas.

  • Restore habitat in key areas and corridors, through the removal of invasive species, planting native plants, and barrier enhancement or removal to help wild species cross built areas and roads.

  • Invite Indigenous communities and Knowledge Holders to participate and share knowledge regarding the land and its management.

  • In addition, this program will investigate and apply monitoring and measures to gauge the success of the overall program from the perspective of ecological corridor function.

Stay tuned for more information on partner projects throughout the rest of 2022 and early 2023.

What’s New with the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Ecological
Corridors Pilot Program?

Why the EcoPark System?

EcoPark System partners play an important role in addressing biodiversity loss and climate change, but to be fully effective, these partner properties must be connected. Ensuring that our cities and infrastructure allow animals and plants to thrive through well-planned and strategically placed ecological corridors is integral to effective nature protection and conservation. Ecological corridors support the uninhibited movement and migration of species between conserved areas, allowing them to interact and find habitat. They also allow other natural processes, like pollination, to occur across the broader landscape and provide opportunities for people and communities to access greenspaces close to home and to co-exist responsibly and sustainably with nature.

FUNDING SUPPORT

The Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Ecological Corridor Pilot Program is supported by Parks Canada through a $3.5M contribution agreement to Royal Botanical Gardens towards the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System.

Learn more about Parks Canada’s National Program for Ecological Corridors by visiting the Parks Canada website.