Federation of Ontario Naturalists
Encyclopedia
Ontario Nature is a non-profit organization
that promotes the preservation and conservation
of natural areas in the Canadian
province
of Ontario
. It was established in 1931 as the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, and is based in Toronto. The organization's name was changed in 2004 to "refresh its image".
There is a membership fee to join the organization, which has over 140 member groups and 25,000 members .
s throughout Ontario.
It has several priorities, among them: the preservation of northern wilderness; the protection of Ontario's southern forests and the species they support; restoring and maintaining populations of threatened species; and providing habitat for various species within their nature reserves.
The Federation of Ontario Naturalists wants to increase the land classified as provincial park or protected area to between 15-20% of all public land, including old-growth ecosystem
s. It also supports community action to preserve woodlands. Moreover, it conducts original research on alvar
s to document their ecology
and biodiversity
, and to target sites for protection.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that promotes the preservation and conservation
Conservation ethic
Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...
of natural areas in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It was established in 1931 as the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, and is based in Toronto. The organization's name was changed in 2004 to "refresh its image".
There is a membership fee to join the organization, which has over 140 member groups and 25,000 members .
Mandate
Ontario Nature works to protect Ontario's wild species and wild spaces through conservation, education and public engagement. It also maintains its own system of twenty-one nature reserveNature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s throughout Ontario.
It has several priorities, among them: the preservation of northern wilderness; the protection of Ontario's southern forests and the species they support; restoring and maintaining populations of threatened species; and providing habitat for various species within their nature reserves.
The Federation of Ontario Naturalists wants to increase the land classified as provincial park or protected area to between 15-20% of all public land, including old-growth ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s. It also supports community action to preserve woodlands. Moreover, it conducts original research on alvar
Alvar
An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse vegetation. It is also known as a pavement barren although this term is also used for similar landforms based on sandstone. In the United Kingdom the exposed landform is called a limestone...
s to document their ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
and biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, and to target sites for protection.
Publications
The Federation of Ontario Naturalists produce several publications, including:- ON NATURE, a quarterly magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
- Family Nature Notes, a four-page supplementary insert to ON NATURE (it is also sold separately)
- Seasons, a discontinued magazine which was published between 1980 and 2003
- Wildlife in Jeopardy Education Kit
- A Nature Guide to Ontario