Evaluation of federal habitat stewardship projects for aquatic species at risk in Canada: The province of Ontario as a case study

The Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) is a major pillar in Canada’s
National Strategy for the Protection of Species at Risk that supports
projects assisting the recovery of species at risk (SAR). To assess
long-term and biological outcomes and evaluate taxonomic and geographic
coverage of HSP-funded projects using Ontario as a case study, 95
HSP-funded projects for aquatic SAR (2006-2017), were evaluated. Fifteen
million CAD was allocated to 66 habitat stewardship projects targeting
aquatic SAR. Twenty-nine fish and mussel SAR were targeted in 12
watersheds located primarily in southwestern Ontario. Greater funding was
allocated to multi-year projects targeting higher numbers of SAR. Future
funding should target geographically widespread SAR and SAR-rich
watersheds in southwestern Ontario. To align stewardship actions with
aquatic SAR recovery priorities, proposals and reports must identify the
threats being addressed by stewardship actions. Standardized pre- and
post-activity monitoring should be required to ensure measurable
conservation benefits and to enable assessment of the effectiveness of
habitat stewardship actions. Similar analyses should be undertaken in
other Canadian provinces and territories to evaluate the HSP nationwide.