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Carolinian Canada

Carolinian Canada is a network of leaders growing healthy landscapes for a green future in the Carolinian Zone, Canada’s extraordinary far south, in the spirit and practice of reconciliation. We connect science, community and business for healthy ecosystems and climate-smart neighbourhoods from Toronto to Windsor, Ontario.

Our cross-sector platforms connect 300 groups, 5,000 volunteers and 37,000 hectares to save local wildlife, water and our way of life; and support 14 UN Sustainable Development Goals. (2020)

Carolinian Canada Coalition is a Canadian Registered Charity 83559 4722

Acclerating Healthy Landscapes

The science is clear that nature is the backbone of healthy landscapes.  Now, it's more urgent than ever to scale-up the collective impact of green leaders like you.  Carolinian Canada's new acclerator platforms connect 300 groups, great leaders, science, technology and people power to grow healthy landscapes with high-quality habitat in the spirit and practice of reconciliation.

Choose the platform that's right for you.  They all contribute to healthy, resilient landscapes for wildlife and people.

SAVE our unique nature | Big Picture Protected Areas Strategy | Shifting the Paradigm

STEWARD healthy, climate-smart neighbourhoods | My Wild Green Home

SEED native plants everywhere |  In the Zone | Landowner Leaders | Big Picture Services

LEAD the way to a green future | Deshkan Ziibi Conservation Impact Bond

Take the first step.  Count Yourself In.

Strategic Directions: Growing a Green Future Together

Carolinian Canada builds relationships for a strong, resilient support network for healthy landscapes. There are many, many important organizations working on healthy landscape goals in the Carolinian Zone and Carolinian Canada exists to connect them to meet shared objectives on the landscape and to bring the Zone together for greater tangible impact.

Mission: Collaborating for healthy ecosystems in the Carolinian Zone

Vision: Communities thrive because of healthy, resilient landscapes

Strategic Directions:

Collaborate to reverse the trend of habitat loss. Make history in Canada’s biodiversity hotspot.

  • Enable leaders for thriving green communities
  • Grow connections to scale up healthy habitat action
  • Track impact for a healthy zone, together.

Explore: Growing a Green Future Together: Carolinian Canada Strategic Plan 2018-2023

Healthy Landscape Strategy

The Challenge

We face the triple threat of extinction; climate and health crises locally and globally due to habitat loss.

In the Carolinian Zone we have less than half the habitat recommended for healthy landscapes. This dire situation affects wildlife, water and way of life for 25% of Canadians.

The Solution

Everyone can quickly grow healthy habitat everywhere with native plants – from parks to farms to lawns to infrastructure. Native plants heal the landscape in the spirit and practice of reconciliation; create green jobs, boost natural capital and connect communities.

Extensive research indicates that healthy habitat is the backbone of healthy landscapes, healthy people and a healthy economy. It can reverse the extinction crisis, mitigate disease risk and is 30% of the climate solution for a win-win-win solution.

Accelerating Action

Carolinian Canada connects Canada’s largest ecosystem recovery network to reverse the trend of habitat loss in Canada’s biodiversity hotspot. North America’s longest-running ecoregional network includes First Nations, government, community, business, academia, social enterprise and thousands who care about a healthy environment.  

The Coalition strategically advances a shared vision for healthy, resilient landscapes. We:

  • Enable leaders for thriving green communities
  • Grow connections to scale up healthy habitat action
  • Track impact for a healthy zone, together.

Collective Impact

The Carolinian Zone is the most diverse and fragile ecoregion of Canada. Collectively, we are saving local:

  • Wildlife - 500+ rare and endangered species
  • Water - drinking water for 11 million people in the Great Lakes Basin
  • Way of Life – productive farms, clean air, green jobs and safer climate-smart communities for 25% of Canadians

The Science of Healthy Landscapes

A Big Picture ‘portfolio’ grows healthy landscapes with shared standards across thousands of sites, communities and people in the spirit and practice of reconciliation.

Carolinian Canada works with local communities to customize a healthy landscape approach based on Big Picture goals that link hundreds of recovery and conservation priorities from local to global including UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Big Picture targets for healthy landscapes include (% of Carolinian Zone):

  • Save local nature
    • Indicator: protected areas
    • Current 2%
    • Recommended 17%
    • Gap: 15%​

 

  • Steward with best practices
    • Indicator: high-quality cultural habitat with native plants
    • Current: unknown
    • Recommended 20%

 

  • Seed healthy ecosystems 
    • Indicator: natural habitat
    • Current 15%
    • Recommended 30%
    • Gap: 15%
  • Lead the way to green future - invest in healthy landscapes
    • Indicator: communities with biodiversity strategy and thriving native plant industry
    • Current: unknown
    • Recommended: 100%

We are growing a green future together. Join us.

Be part of the Big Picture - a shared vision for southern Ontario where communities thrive because of healthy resilient landscapes.