The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has announced new funding to help combat invasive species in the province.
Minister Graydon Smith unveiled $16 million in funding last week to aid in the fight against invasive phragmites. Minister Smith says the province works with numerous partners like the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Invasive Species Centre, and typically the province takes funding like this and makes transfer payments to those groups to be used.
"They leverage that money through other partners that they have and we get really great bang for the buck. Whether it's aquatic or terrestrial invasive species, it's a challenge in Ontario, there's an economic component to it that's very damaging, certainly from a biodiversity standpoint," Minister Smith stated. "We wanna control and mitigate invasive species wherever we can, so this is gonna go a long way to help with that."
Smith says according to a study from the Invasive Species Centre in 2019, invasive species cause major economic and environmental damages in the province every year.
"In Ontario we calculate $3.6 billion annually, and that is a huge number. A lot of what we do is focused on phragmites and that will continue because it really is the worst plant you'll find anywhere," Minister Smith pointed out. "It chokes out other plant life, and very quickly spreads, but there are also many other types of invasive species in Ontario, whether that's terrestrial or aquatic."
On that note, while Minister Smith notes this funding is meant for phragmites, the ministry is always trying to manage many different invasive species.
"We added 10 new non-native species this year to the invasive species list, and sub-species, as well, so it's all really a work-in-progress to make sure that we're kind of mitigating the challenges of what's here today, eliminating where possible, and preventing other invasive species from entering Ontario," shared Minister Smith.
When it comes to the management of invasive species, Minister Smith says we can all be part of the solution and have a part to play.
"People should have an eye out, whether on their own property or maybe at a lake or a new lake for things that they believe are out of place. We do have a tip line that you can look up, search invasive species Ontario, you'll get that information," added Smith.
With many new species being added to the list, Minister Smith says the ministry is also aware of newer invasive species, like hammerhead worms.
"It's an example and one of the latest ones, of a species that's non-native to the province, that when they're introduced to an area, they can replicate quickly, they can spread, they can choke out other forms of biodiversity, whether again, that's aquatic or terrestrial," Smith said.
Minister Smith notes hammerhead worms will replicate if chopped in half and can sting to the touch, so be very careful when handling them. More information on the Invasive Species Act can be seen here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1003961/ontario-protecting-the-economy-and-environment-by-taking-action-against-invasive-species?utm_campaign=%2Fen%2Frelease%2F1004743%2Fontario-protecting-environment-from-harmful-invasive-species&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsroom&utm_term=media