Science and information and land use planning

To support community based land use planning in the Far North of Ontario:

  • First Nation communities are collecting their knowledge of the land and other aboriginal traditional knowledge
  • colleges, universities, resource industries and governments are conducting resource inventories and scientific research projects

This work will contribute to greater knowledge of the:

  • land (mapping)
  • plants, animals, insects and unique sites
  • species of interest (e.g., caribou, wolverine, lake sturgeon)
  • rivers, lakes and fish
  • climate and carbon
  • history

Progress

Maps of the Far North

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has developed maps that show more detailed, current data, including:

  • base data (e.g., locating lakes, streams, wetlands and other features on maps)
  • hydrology (e.g., watersheds, water flow direction)
  • elevation (e.g., areas of high or low ground)
  • land cover (e.g., forest, wetlands)
  • vegetation changes (e.g., fire, wind)

View maps of the Far North

Reports on the Far North

MNRF has also published 2 key reports:

  • Aquatic Ecosystems of the Far North State of Knowledge Report
  • Woodland caribou in the Far North of Ontario: Background information in support of land use planning (Read the executive summary)

MNRF assisted in publishing this report:

  • Wetlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland: An Ontario Overview

To access these reports, email Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Next steps

Resource inventories and research projects are underway in areas that include:

  • mapping plants, insects, animals and unique sites with important natural features
  • mapping surface materials such as sand and gravel
  • understanding climate change and how carbon is stored in peatlands
  • learning more about lake sturgeon

Information is available to First Nations communities and planning teams to support land use planning.

To learn more about these projects, email the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.