Environmental Policy Mapping in the Lake Simcoe Watershed: Protecting Natural Cover to Save Lake Simcoe
The Province of Ontario is more than three years behind on the review of the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. Consultations are finished, but where’s the beef? Instead of releasing any plans for the LSPP, the province is forcing growth on the watershed that will move us away from reaching the ecological targets of the LSPP. We want to hold the line in the Review, and make sure the Plan is strengthened, not weakened. We have submitted countless letters, organizational sign-ons, and some petitions to the province on this topic. Part of this work included researching and communicating solutions to decision-makers on the extent to which natural features are protected by policy in the watershed.
The Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition’s environmental policy mapping project seeks to identify how well-protected natural features in Simcoe County and the Lake Simcoe Watershed are.
To do this, the strengths of the natural heritage policies applied to the features across the landscape were analyzed. Policies are categorized based on how strongly they inhibit land-use changes. These categories were attached to the natural heritage features to which they apply, and the results mapped.
Related resources
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Report Environmental Policy Mapping in the Lake Simcoe WatershedThe Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition’s environmental policy mapping project seeks to identify how well-protected the Lake Simcoe watershed’s important natural features are by analyzing the strength of the natural heritage policies applied to the features across the watershed landscape. -
Fact Sheet Lake Simcoe Watershed Environmental Protection MappingMap of environmental policies protecting natural cover in the Lake Simcoe Watershed. -
Report Innisfil Community Mapping Event ResultsThis report reflects the public feedback about planning to protect natural heritage, as well as sourced targets and current conditions. -
Report How Well-Protected Are Greenlands in Simcoe County?The Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition’s greenlands mapping project seeks to identify how well-protected our forests, wetlands, and shorelines are by analyzing the strength of the policies applied to the features that make up our greenlands. -
Fact Sheet How Well-Protected Are Greenlands in Simcoe County?Map of environmental protections, July 2019. -
Report Advancing Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Lake Simcoe WatershedPerspectives on protecting what matters to our land by Kerry-Ann Charles-Norris (Cambium Indigenous Professional Services), with contributions by Claire Malcolmson (Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition) -
Fact Sheet Increasing Natural Cover and ProtectionsEfforts are needed to achieve the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan’s (LSPP) natural cover and shoreline targets. The Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition suggests how to achieve some of the LSPP’s natural cover targets, below.