Ontario’s Greenbelt is composed of nearly 2 million acres of protected land including natural areas that provide ecosystem services to millions of people. While these areas face reduced pressure from land use conversion, they still face a pressures typical of natural systems in peri-urban landscapes including loss of biodiversity, invasive species, impacts from infrastructure projects […]

The Greater Toronto Area has experienced significant urbanization during the past decade; meanwhile, the consequences of the urban heat island and the frequency and duration of the heat waves are becoming more evident. Preserving the green areas and increasing vegetation leads to a decrease in air temperature, an increase in evapotranspiration, a decrease in cooling […]

This project aims at developing information and knowledge that will promote public and policy support for the long-term sustainability of the agricultural system surrounding the greenbelt. Based on a preliminary research led by the Friends of Greenbelt Foundation, this research will develop a monitoring framework for the viability and protection of the agricultural system in […]