Quick Facts

A few quick facts...

• Ontario's Niagara Escarpment is one of Canada’s foremost scenic landforms.
• The Escarpment is a massive ridge of fossil rich sedimentary rock which began its formation 450 million years ago as the outer rim of a shallow sea known geologically as the Michigan Basin.
• It soars 1675 ft. high in some locations and stretches 725 km (450 miles) from Niagara to Tobermory.
• A rich mosaic of forests, farms, recreation areas, scenic views, cliffs, streams, wetlands, rolling hills, waterfalls, mineral resources, wildlife habitats, historic sites, villages, towns and cities.
• Contains more than 300 bird species, 53 mammals, 36 reptiles and amphibians, 90 fish and 100 varieties of special interest flora including 37 types of wild orchids.
• Includes some of Ontario’s best skiing, camping, swimming, fishing, boating, hiking and viewing.
• Contains Canada’s famous Bruce Trail established in 1967.
• Contributes an estimated $100 million to local and regional economies through tourism.

The Niagara Escarpment Plan

• Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act passed in June of 1973 in response to public concern.
• Purpose of the Act is to provide for maintenance of N.E. and vicinity as a continuous natural environment and to ensure that any development is compatible with that environment.
• Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) established in 1973 and development control initiated in June 1975.
• Niagara Escarpment Plan approved in June 1985; is Canada’s first large scale environmental land use plan.
• Implementation Program announced in April 1986 involving several ministries and agencies.
• Minister of Natural Resources (MNR) is responsible for the Act, Commission, Plan and coordination of implementation.
• Ministry of Natural Resources & Ontario Heritage Trust have specific implementation tasks and work co-operatively on land acquisition.
• Municipalities and Conservation Authorities are also actively involved in Plan implementation.
• Plan policies include seven land-use designations (Natural, Protection, Rural, Urban, Minor Urban, Recreation and Mineral Extraction).
• Plan also describes Niagara Escarpment Parks System which includes the Bruce National Park, Fathom Five National Marine Park and the Royal Botanical Gardens.
• Securing a permanent route for the Bruce Trail is considered part of the Niagara Escarpment Parks System.
• Niagara Escarpment Fund of $25 million was established to acquire land and sponsor related stewardship from 1985 - 1997.
• Ministry of Natural Resources Ecological Land Acquisition Program (formerly known as the Natural Areas Protection Program) has been created to assist with further land acquisition.
• Legislation requires that the Ministry of Natural Resources and the NEC review the Plan every five years.
• Revised Niagara Escarpment Plan was approved in June, 2005.

Global Recognition ~ A World Biosphere Reserve

In 1990, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) named the Niagara Escarpment a World Biosphere Reserve -- an internationally recognized ecosystem.

Biosphere reserves demonstrate a balance between conservation and development. A reserve must have one or more protected core areas that conserve significant ecological features. Buffer zones around the core may be used in ways that do not affect this protected area.

On the escarpment, the core area consists of areas designated "Natural" by the Niagara Escarpment Plan, portions of the Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park. The Escarpment's 131 existing or proposed parks and open spaces are a key component of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve. Most importantly, the core area includes natural land cared for by thousands of individual private landowners.

Biosphere reserves contain lands used for a variety of human purposes. Reserves provide excellent opportunities to study and compare undisturbed land and developed areas. They are a standard against which the effects of human impact on the environment can be measured. Ontario's Niagara Escarpment is a working example of sustainable development.

For more information about biosphere reserves, visit the the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) webpage. Or, for information on the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, visit the biosphere webpages.