Since 2000, Carolinian Canada’s Big Picture strategy has been widely recognized as a leading edge tool for collective conservation and climate adaptation on a multi use working landscape. However, our Big Picture Discussion Paper (2015) shows that we need to double natural infrastructure in Ontario’s deep south to meet recommended targets for healthy landscapes. In addition, current climate models predict that within 50 years, there will be significant biodiversity shifts, which will require a network of interconnected healthy habitats. An updated, focused and comprehensive strategy is urgently required to ensure ecosystem, climate and community health in our region. We are very pleased to announce that Ontario Trillium Foundation is prepared to support this ambitious initiative through their Collective Impact funding stream. In 2017 we started to develop a proposal to:
- Update the Big Picture strategy and identify shared targets for natural infrastructure, ecosystems and biodiversity in the context of climate change, public health and economy
- Develop a multi‐stakeholder monitoring system to track progress
- Meaningfully engage diverse sector leaders and establish more public and private partnerships
- Develop a recognition system and other tools to incentivize and assist more target sectors to improve, create and/or monitor habitat
- Provide data for Ontario’s State of Biodiversity reporting and other high-level monitoring programs.
- Assist other regions of Ontario interested in developing a similar model. If the proposal we submit in 2018 is successful, the Collective Impact grant will fund the Big Picture Collaborative for the next five years, with part of the grant being shared with collaborators.
