The boreal forests of northern Ontario cover an area roughly the size of France. In fact it is the largest intact, roadless boreal forest in North America and includes the Hudson Bay lowlands, one of the most expansive wetlands in the world. Significant populations of caribou, wolverine, wolves, and Canada lynx live here, and its waters are home to a myriad of fish, such as sturgeon, walleye, and lake trout.
This remote, rugged stretch of Ontario remains largely undeveloped. Roughly 10,000 people live there, spread over 34 Cree and Ojibwa fly-in communities. These communities seek to strike a balance between the pursuit of economic opportunities and the maintenance of their cultural and natural heritage in their traditional-use areas. The future of the region as a whole depends on protecting and connecting ecologically important lands while achieving sound management for development, including mining, logging, and energy projects.
Conservation Challenges
Large-scale industrial development is creeping north in Ontario, threatening this pristine region and its wildlife. Mining, logging, and hydroelectric projects—along with the building of all-weather roads to facilitate access to the region—could indelibly alter the landscape. In addition, climate change poses serious threats to these northern latitudes. A warming climate has already impacted freshwater lakes and rivers, with later freeze-ups and shorter periods of ice cover, jeopardizing cold-water fish such as lake trout and brook trout. In southern Canada, both wolverine and caribou have declined as logging, oil and gas extraction, and road development take their toll on the forests.
Conservation Approach
WCS is leading in field research and participating in a number of government-led advisory panels, helping to develop endangered species legislation, and planning and managing species recovery projects. Our researchers are sharing scientific knowledge with local communities as they become increasingly active partners in the region’s protection. WCS studies the status, distribution, and ecology of wildlife and fish in the Northern Ontario Boreal, including caribou, wolverine, wolves, Canada lynx, lake sturgeon, walleye, and lake trout. WCS and its partners use the results of our work to inform land-use planning decisions and to help position conservation as a top priority. WCS is using cutting-edge science to identify important protected and community-conserved areas and advocate for sound practices that will keep these forests and wildlife healthy for generations to come.