The Great Lakes region, home to more than 3,500 species of plants and animals, is one of the most ecologically diverse regions of North America.
Despite significant and ongoing conservation efforts, threats such as the exploitation of natural resources, land conversion, shoreline development, pollution, invasive species, and altered water flows have resulted in significant loss and degradation of habitats and native species.
Climate change is taking a further toll on the Great Lakes ecosystem by amplifying existing threats, leading to even greater social, environmental, and economic impacts.
Conserving, protecting, restoring, and enhancing the resilience of coastal habitats and native species in the Great Lakes region are important for the people, communities, and economies that depend on them.
Knowing how much habitat exists along the coastal landscape, as well as its current state, is fundamental to long-term protection, management, and enhancement.
This information can also help measure progress over time and guide efforts towards achieving habitat gains.
Until recently, there was no standardized approach to classify, map, and track Great Lakes coastal habitats and the efforts to conserve them.
To fill this information need, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada have jointly produced a baseline habitat survey for the Canadian Great Lakes coastal ecosystem.
Where to Find Geospatial Data Results by Lake
Publicly accessible Great Lakes coastal habitat mapping data is available through the Government of Canada’s open data catalogue.
This data is organized by lake and captures over one million hectares of the Canadian Great Lakes coastal ecosystem – the equivalent of roughly 2.5 million soccer fields!
The survey focused on the four habitat categories at the core of Great Lakes biodiversity conservation, water quality, and ecosystem health:
- Wetlands (coastal and inland)
- Shorelines and uplands
- Tributaries
- Inland lakes and ponds
For additional guidance on how to access and use the spatial data, check out this tutorial video:
Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey Webinar Series
The Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey Webinar Series featured 30 speakers and was attended by over 380 people in Canada and the United States on both sides of the Great Lakes.
VIEW THE SERIES PROCEEDINGS REPORT
VIEW THE USER QUESTIONNAIRE REPORT
SESSION 1:
Introduction to the Canadian Great Lakes Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey / Shorelines and Uplands: From the Mixed-wood Plains to the Boreal Shield
PRESENTATIONS:
- Canadian Great Lakes Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey: Background and Rationale – by Greg Mayne, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
- Projections of Key Climate Variables and Great Lakes Water Levels Under Climate Change – by Stephanie Otto, ECCC
- Canadian Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey: A Survey of Coastal Habitats from the Mixed-wood Plains to the Boreal Shield – by Anders Holder, ECCC
- Big Picture Solutions for Complex Landscapes: Growing Challenges and Opportunities to Reverse the Trend of Habitat Loss on Working Landscapes – by Amy Hall, Carolinian Canada
- Birds Canada’s Conservation Work on Species at Risk in the Shoreline and Upland Habitats of Canada’s Great Lakes: Piping Plovers and Bank Swallows – by Laura Irvine, Birds Canada
- Harmonizing Biodiversity and Geodiversity Conservation with Human Use of the Great Lakes Coast – by Pete Zuzek, Zuzek Inc.
- Panel Discussion – moderated by Greg Mayne, ECCC
VIEW THE SESSION 1 PRESENTATION SLIDES
SESSION 2:
A Survey of Coastal Wetlands: Where Land Meets Water
PRESENTATIONS:
- Canadian Great Lakes Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey: Introduction to Day 2 – Coastal Wetlands – by Greg Mayne, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
- Canadian Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey: A Survey of Wetlands Along the Great Lakes Coastal Margin – by Anders Holder, ECCC
- The Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program – by Dr. Don Uzarski, Central Michigan University; Dr. Matthew Cooper, Central Michigan University; Todd Redder, LimnoTech; and Dr. Valerie Brady, University of Minnesota Duluth
- Breaking All the Rules: Unpredictable Response of Georgian Bay Marshes to Water-level Disturbance – by Liz Berg, United States Fish and Wildlife Service; Cherie Hagen, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; and Dr. Doug Pearsall, The Nature Conservancy
- Great Lakes Coastal Assembly: Bi-National Coastal Wetland Conservation Framework – Lake Erie Pilot – by Laura Irvine, Birds Canada
- Enhancing the Resilience of Lake Erie’s Coastal Wetlands: The Restoration of Hillman Marsh – by Jenny Gharib, Essex Region Conservation Authority
- Panel Discussion – moderated by Greg Mayne, ECCC
VIEW THE SESSION 2 PRESENTATION SLIDES
SESSION 3:
A Survey of Select Canadian Tributaries and Threats to Fish and Fish Habitat
PRESENTATIONS:
- Canadian Great Lakes Baseline Coastal Habitat Survey: Introduction to Day 3 – A Survey of Select Tributaries and Threats to Fish and Fish Habitat – by Neil Fisher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
- Canadian Baseline Coastal Habitat Surveys: Tributaries – by Sonya Michaleski, DFO
- Ecosystem/multi-species Approaches to Recovery Planning in the Lower Great Lakes – by Shawn Staton, DFO
- Finding the Bottleneck: Reproductive Habitat of Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) in Rondeau Bay, Lake Erie – by Dr. Andrew Drake, DFO
- Characterizing Fish Habitat and Exploring Habitat Connectivity in the Great Lakes – by Dr. Jon Midwood, DFO
- Stream Restoration and Connectivity on Manitoulin Island and Associated Benefits – by Seija Deschenes, Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association
- Canadian Aquatic Barriers Database: A Tool to Support Freshwater Connectivity Restoration and Policy – by Nick Mazany-Wright, Canadian Wildlife Federation
- Panel Discussion – moderated by Neil Fisher, DFO
VIEW THE SESSION 3 PRESENTATION SLIDES
SESSION 4:
Identifying Priority Habitats for Conservation, Protection, and Restoration
PRESENTATIONS:
- Quick Recap of Sessions One to Three – by Sharon Lam, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
- A Historical Summary of Identifying Important Habitats for Conservation in the Great Lakes – by Dr. Richard Kavanagh, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
- Conservation, Protection and Restoration Planning: Canadian Coastal Baseline Habitat Survey – Webinar Session 4 – by Neil Fisher, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)
- Identifying Key Biodiversity Areas to Support Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Conservation – by Robyn Rumney, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
- Identifying Areas of High Ecological Value: Great Lakes Nearshore Waters – by Jocelyn Sherwood, ECCC
- Expanding the Priority Place Initiative in Ontario: A collaborative Approach to Conservation Planning and Implementation for Species at Risk – by Heather Braun, ECCC
- Panel Discussion 1 – moderated by Sharon Lam, TRCA
- Maamwi Anjiakiziwin – Community Nominated Priority Place – by David Bywater and Sherrill Judge, Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere
- The Bruce Trail Conservancy: A Ribbon of Wilderness – by Dr. Mhairi McFarlane, The Nature Conservancy of Canada
- Panel Discussion 2 – moderated by Sharon Lam, TRCA
VIEW THE SESSION 4 PRESENTATION SLIDES
Speaker biographies and presentation abstracts can be found HERE.