A large swath of land that takes in Manitoulin Island has been designated as a highly threatened ecoregion.
The Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe ecoregion, one of 77 in Ontario, was identified as one of Canada’s nine most significant and threatened places for biodiversity conservation in a recent study conducted by Nature Conservancy of Canada.
The study, authored by biologist Dan Kraus says there is a focus on southern Canada because that is where most Canadians live and where most endangered species are.
Kraus says a great example is the Lakeside Daisy, the small yellow flower locally known as Manitoulin Gold, which is an endemic species that only live around the Great Lakes with some of the largest populations in the world found on Manitoulin Island.
The study will be used to look at continued conservation and protection efforts in the ecoregion.
To read more about the Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe and other ecoregions visit natureconservancy.ca/casc