People and Habitats: Weighing the Impacts

The field behind the school

Behind a school there is a big field with tall grass, milkweed and a small wetland. Red-winged blackbirds nest in the cattails. Monarch butterflies visit the milkweed. Frogs sing there every spring.

The town wants to build new houses on the field. Families need homes. But what will happen to the blackbirds, monarchs and frogs?

Questions like this happen in real Ontario communities. Human activities can harm habitats, and they can also help them.

Harmful (negative) impacts

• Habitat loss: clearing forests, draining wetlands and paving fields for roads, houses and parking lots. This is one of the biggest threats to plants and animals.
• Pollution: litter and plastic, chemicals, oil, and road salt washing into streams and ponds.
• Roads: cut habitats into pieces. Turtles, frogs and snakes are often hit by cars when they cross to reach ponds or nesting spots.
• Spreading invasive species: for example, moving firewood can carry the emerald ash borer to new forests.
• Taking too much: catching too many fish or picking too many wild plants.

Helpful (positive) impacts

• Protecting land in parks and conservation areas.
• Restoring habitats: replanting forests, rebuilding wetlands, planting native species like milkweed and wildflowers for pollinators.
• Wildlife crossings: tunnels and fences that guide turtles and other animals safely under roads.
• Clean-ups along shorelines, rivers and ravines.
• Rules that limit how many fish can be caught, and laws that protect species at risk.

Different perspectives

When people decide what to do with land, they often disagree, because each person has a different perspective. A good decision listens to many perspectives.

For the field behind the school:

• A family looking for a home says: "We need a place to live near the school."
• A builder says: "This project gives people jobs and homes."
• A wildlife biologist says: "This wetland is home to frogs and nesting birds. Losing it would harm the whole community."
• A student says: "We learn about nature in this field. It is part of our school."
• A First Nations Elder from the area might say that the land, water, plants and animals are relatives that people have a responsibility to care for, now and for future generations.

A possible plan that respects many perspectives: build fewer houses on the part of the field that is already disturbed, protect the wetland, and plant native milkweed along the edges.

First Nations, Métis and Inuit knowledge

First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities have cared for the lands and waters of what is now Canada for thousands of years, and they continue to do so today. Their knowledge comes from careful observation passed down over many generations.

• Many Indigenous teachings speak about respect for all living things, taking only what you need, and giving back.
• The Haudenosaunee share a teaching often called the Seventh Generation principle: think about how decisions today will affect people seven generations into the future.
• Two-Eyed Seeing is an idea shared by Mi'kmaw Elder Albert Marshall: look at the world with the strengths of Indigenous knowledge with one eye and the strengths of Western science with the other, and use both eyes together.
• In many places in Canada, Indigenous Guardians programs have community members watch over the land and water, track wildlife and test water quality.
• Inuit hunters' detailed knowledge of sea ice, weather and animals like polar bears and caribou is shared with scientists studying the Arctic.

Technology and careers that help

New technologies help people understand and protect habitats:

• Trail cameras take pictures when an animal walks by, so scientists learn which animals use an area without disturbing them.
• Drones can count birds or check a wetland from the air (but they must be flown carefully so they do not frighten wildlife).
• GPS tracking collars show where animals like caribou or wolves travel.
• Apps let ordinary people, even kids, photograph and report plants and animals they find. Scientists use these reports to learn where species live.

Careers: wildlife biologists, conservation officers, park wardens, ecologists, and skilled trades such as landscape horticulturists (who plant and restore native gardens), arborists (who care for trees) and heavy equipment operators (who help build wildlife crossings).