Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
An Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (or ANSI) is an official designation by the provincial Government of Ontario in Canada applied to contiguous geographical regions within the province that have geological or ecological features which are significantly representative provincially, regionally, or locally.{{sfn|Govt of Ontario|2012}}{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=91}}{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=2}} Some sites with this designation were assessed through the International Biological Program between 1964 and 1974. As of 2014, over 1000 sites covering {{convert|460000|ha|km2}} have been designated in the province.{{sfn|Govt of Ontario|2012}}
The Conservation Land Tax Incentive Program (CLTIP) is a program offered to landowners whose property includes ANSI land to voluntarily protect that land in exchange for a property tax reduction.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=24}}
Types
Three separate designations exist: Life Sciences (or Life Sciences ANSI, or ANSI-LS), a region exhibiting ecological features; Earth Sciences (or Earth Sciences ANSI, or ANSI-ES), a region exhibiting geological features; and Candidate, an area under consideration for such a designation. The latter are sites that the Ministry of Natural Resources has "identified and recommended for protection", but have not yet been formally confirmed,{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=91}} and were previously referred to as nominated ANSIs.{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=3}}These cannot be classified as provincially significant until they are confirmed.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=91}} Provincially significant ANSIs are "the best representative sites that do not occur within national parks, provincial parks, or conservation reserves".{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=92}} These may also be nationally or internationally significant features.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=25}}
An Earth Science area is one in which the representative feature was created by geologic processes and consists of the physical elements of a natural landscape, such as the bedrock, landforms, and fossils.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=91}} These are identified by lithology, paleontology, and geomorphology, then classified "into geological themes" according to age, stratigraphy, topography, and other characteristics.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=91}}
A Life Science area is one in which the representative feature consists of the biodiversity of the area and its landscapes, and has not been affected by human development;{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=23}} this includes all indigenous plants and animals, forests and valleys, prairies and savannahs, wetlands, alvars, and bodies of water.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=91}}
Current ANSI identification is based on ecoregions and ecodistricts, and finer resolution is used to determine particular features and areas, such as a landform.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=91}}
=Evaluation=
There are five criteria on which a candidate ANSI is evaluated. Representation and condition are assessed at the landscape level, and diversity, ecological functions, and special feature are applied to each site.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=25}}
The representative features for an ANSI in an ecodistrict are the geologic themes for an Earth Science ANSI or the landforms and vegetation for a Life Science ANSI.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=92}} The diversity of such representative features deemed to be high quality for the site is also important,{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=92}} as those with greater heterogeneity support a greater breadth of species.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=24}} The condition of the site considers the extent of "human-induced disturbances" resulting from past and current land use,{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=92}} and the ecological condition of a site "helps to determine its significance within the ecodistrict".{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=24}}
A fourth criterion is the ecological and hydrological features of the site, its size and shape, and proximity and connections to other sites,{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=92}} and also considers associations and effects on the watershed in which it exists.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=24}} The final criterion is consideration for other characteristics, such as the presence of species at risk, unique or important local habitats, atypical features, and its value as an educational or scientific resource.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=92}}
During identification, scientific research regarding a potential ANSI site's significance is collected and interpreted, and the site's boundaries are determined.{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=1}} Confirmation of the site as an ANSI requires notification of affected parties, such as landowners and municipal planning departments, and obtaining approval for the designation.{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=1}} If site access is required during identification or for determining boundaries, the Ministry of Natural Resources must notify any affected party and obtain permission to access it.{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=8}}
=Categories=
The category of ANSI (provincial, regional, or local) is determined by the five criteria evaluated during identification.{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=2}} A provincially significant ANSI is one for which the site's representative natural features or landscapes are amongst the "best examples" of that feature in the province.{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=2}} These have been further protected by the provincial Planning Act and Natural Heritage policies since 1996,{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=2}} and by the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan, the Niagara Escarpment Plan, and the Greenbelt Plan (such as for the Golden Horseshoe Greenbelt or the Ottawa Greenbelt).{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=2}}
Regionally significant ANSIs also satisfy the five criteria, and are protected in some parts of the province. Locally significant ANSIs satisfy most of the five evaluation criteria, but are already adequately represented by another ANSI or protected area within the province or the ecodistrict.{{sfn|Ontario Parks|2000|p=2–3}}
Management
Regions classified as Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest are subject to certain management constraints.{{sfn|Queen's Printer for Ontario}} Ultimately, land management and stewardship is a municipal responsibility, so that "decisions on the appropriate levels of protection and land uses are the responsibility of the local municipality".{{sfn|Kirk|Murch|Durst|2004}} Each area is specified to be either regionally or provincially significant for its representative feature.
The Ministry of Natural Resources recommends that development on land adjacent to ANSI areas should consider potential negative impacts within 50m of an Earth Science feature or 120m of a Life Science feature.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=42}} Municipalities may define adjacent lands to exclude some of these areas, but the development plans must "demonstrate that no negative impacts on the natural features or their ecological functions will occur".{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|loc=4.4.2
Developing Municipal Approaches for Determining the Extent of Adjacent Lands|p=43}}
Consideration is made for hydrological and topographical features, connectivity of wildlife corridors, and soil conditions.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=93}} Development is deemed suitable on adjacent lands if it conserves "topography, stratigraphic exposures and other geologically defining features",{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=93}} and must be consistent with policies 2.1.4(e) and 2.1.6 of the Provincial Policy Statement 2005.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=90}}
Status
In the Mixedwood Plains ecozone of Southern Ontario, most land is privately owned and hence cannot be protected as a provincial park, nature reserve, or conservation area.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=25}} Some of these ANSI lands are held by conservation groups, including Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ontario Nature.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011|p=25}} This also requires that multiple Life Science ANSIs to represent the features associated to a landform on a landscape fragmented by development.{{sfn|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010|p=92}}
Notes
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References
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite web|url=http://cgrg.geog.uvic.ca/abstracts/KirkEramosaIn.html|title=Eramosa Karst Area of natural and scientific interest (ANSI), Abstract|last1=Kirk|first1=D.|last2=Murch|first2=B.|last3=Durst|first3=J.|publisher=Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology|date=2004|access-date=27 July 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207031402/http://cgrg.geog.uvic.ca/abstracts/KirkEramosaIn.html|archive-date=7 February 2012}}
- {{cite web|url=http://nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/glossary/area_types.cfm |title=Ontario Natural Area Types |publisher=Government of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources |access-date=27 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812121706/http://nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/glossary/area_types.cfm |archive-date=12 August 2007 |url-status=dead }}
- {{cite book|url=http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@lueps/documents/document/289522.pdf|title=Natural Heritage Reference Manual|edition=2nd|publisher=Ministry of Natural Resources|date=18 March 2010|isbn=9781443517911|ref={{harvid|Ministry of Natural Resources|2010}} }}
- {{cite book|url=http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@sorr/documents/document/stdprod_085564.pdf|title=State of Ontario's Protected Areas Report|publisher=Ministry of Natural Resources|access-date=6 June 2014|date=2011|isbn=9781443563246|ref={{harvid|Ministry of Natural Resources|2011}} }}
- {{cite web|url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontarios-parks-and-protected-areas|title=Ontario’s parks and protected areas|publisher=Ministry of Natural Resources|access-date=1 May 2022|ref={{harvid|Govt of Ontario|2012}} }}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/planning_pdf/ansi/ansi_procedure.pdf |title=Identification and Confirmation Procedure for Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest |publisher=Ontario Parks |date=14 April 2000 |access-date=6 June 2014 |ref={{harvid|Ontario Parks|2000}} |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120523054613/http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/planning_pdf/ansi/ansi_procedure.pdf |archive-date=23 May 2012 }}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.canlii.org/on/laws/regu/1998r.282/20030327/whole.html#P725_58065|title=Assessment Act, ONTARIO REGULATION 282/98|publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario|date=2004|access-date=27 July 2007|ref={{harvid|Queen's Printer for Ontario}} }}
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