| Healthy Great Lakes
Because all environmental systems within a watershed (wetlands, forests, groundwater, surface water, etc.) are connected, the key to healthy great lakes is healthy watersheds. The Great Lakes basin is located within a high growth area that provides a source of drinking water for 16 million Canadians. The basin comprises thousands of square kilometres and hundreds of communities encompassing 95 per cent of Ontario's total population. The basin provides the largest system of fresh surface water on the globe and a significant number of people rely on it for economic, agricultural, health and recreational uses. On behalf of Ontario's 36 conservation authorities, Conservation Ontario proposes to establish a Healthy Great Lakes program geared to restoring the vast areas outside the current Areas of Concern through Environment Canada's Great Lakes Sustainability Fund. The basin faces enormous pressure from a rapidly expanding population that places an increased demand on the basin's waters, land, fish, agricultural land, sewage treatment facilities and parks and wilderness areas. The types of projects that would be developed by Conservation Authorities include programs to protect ground and surface water from agricultural impacts and urban sprawl, programs to protect fish and wildlife habitats and local approaches to address the effects of climate change and air quality. Conservation Authorities are locally accountable conservation organizations whose role is to carry out watershed management activities and educational and recreational based services. Conservation Authorities have long established partnerships with municipal, provincial and federal governments to deliver community-based practical solutions to a range of environmental concerns.
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