In 1990 the Niagara Escarpment was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). A "biosphere reserve" is an international designation of recognition from UNESCO on the basis of nominations submitted by more than 110 countries participating in its MAB (Man and the Biosphere Program). MAB was launched in 1971 to provide the knowledge, skills and human values to support harmonious relationships between people and their environment.
The Niagara Escarpment Commission and Parks Canada have systems in place to protect and preserve the unique flora and fauna present on the Niagara Escarpment.
Smithsonian Institution/Man and the Biosphere Diversity Program
With support of the Smithsonian Institution/Man and the Biosphere Diversity Program (SI/MAB), Bruce Peninsula National Park has established a one-hectare permanent forest monitoring plot. Along with several hundred plots around the globe, it is being used to monitor species loss. This is extremely valuable since scientists have established that over the next 25 years, more than a million species of plants and animals will become extinct.
Ancient Forest Discovered
When Dr. Doug Larson of the University of Guelph was studying human impact on Eastern White Cedar trees along the Niagara Escarpment near Milton, Ontario, he found a cedar that was 511 years old growing out of the cliff face only a couple of kilometres from Highway 401.
That was in 1988, and since then he and his team have discovered even older trees all along the Escarpment; the oldest being found in Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park. A dead 1845-year-old cedar was found on Flowerpot Island. It had died about 1500 years ago. The oldest living tree found so far is over 850 years old. It is the oldest living tree in Canada.
Even more surprising is that this ancient ecosystem survives at all. These cedars, lichen and mosses growing on ledges and out of cracks in sheer rock faces far from any soil. Fierce winds, ice, rock fall and searing sun exposure torment the trees and likely cause their dwarfed and twisted shapes. The 1845 year old tree was only 1.5 metres (5 ft.) tall!
Why is this happening? Well, the cliffs aren't the best place to grow but they're one of the safest places to live. There are no forest fires on the cliffs, nor logging.
The cedars are part of a much more complex ecosystem that was previously imagined. The barren-looking cliff face is actually covered with mosses and lichen, while countless caves and crevices provide homes for ravens, turkey vultures, swallows and bats. The cedars are only the most visible component of a strange and wonderful ecosystem stretching from Niagara Falls to Bruce Peninsula National Park and the islands of Fathom Five National Marine Park.
The deep and sparkling waters at the mouth of Georgian Bay are home to Fathom Five - Canada's first National Marine Conservation Area. The park preserves a rich cultural legacy that includes 22 shipwrecks and several historic lightstations. Fathom Five’s freshwater ecosystem contains some of the most pristine waters of the Great Lakes. The rugged islands of the park are a reminder of the impressive lakebed topography found beneath the wave
