The Rural Ontario Landscape

The broad, global perspectives of environmental management, sustainability, and stewardship provide the context for this book. Within this broad framework, a location in the Township of Centre Wellington, southern Ontario, serves as a case study to illustrate the evolution of its landscape, as well as the significance of landscape to various aspects of land planning and management. It is at this local government level that policy initiatives from regional and governmental bodies are actually implemented. The term ‘landscape’ is used to reflect the interrelationships between the physical, natural, and human characteristics of a location; this interaction produces the evolving land features and properties of an area. Increasingly, this recognition forms the basis of many local land management procedures and strategies.

The book derives information and data from a wide range of sources. Throughout, each source is examined for its local availability, relevance, and veracity, with critical gaps and omissions noted. Through the various stages of the landscape’s development, the related management initiatives are discussed as they are reflected in the changing features of the local environment. The book demonstrates the application of landscape ecology principles and provides a case to illustrate emerging ideas in integrated landscape management.