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The majority of Canada's population lives in the southernmost part of the country. From Statistics
Canada's Canada Year Book 1999, we know that approximately 60% of the Canadian population lives
within a thin belt of land between Windsor, Ontario and the city of Québec called the Windsor-Québec
corridor, which represents 2.2% of the Canada total land area. Once heavily forested, this belt of land supported a large diversity of trees and plants. Today, a very high
percentage of species at risk are found in this area. In fact, most of Canada's unique broad leaf Carolinian
forest has been cleared away and replaced by farmlands, highways and cities. In south-western Ontario,
forest cover has been reduced to less than 3%. Pressures on those remaining parcels of forest get
stronger as the population within the area continues to grow.
Intensive urban development has led to severe environmental degradation.
Population migration to suburbs has increased dependency on private
automobiles. Consequently, denser road networks fragment the landscape
in order to connect all the cities and villages.
Located in the centre of the country, the Prairies are one of the
most altered areas. Although, population density is not as high
as in the Windsor-Québec corridor, the intensive agricultural activity
has replaced the exisiting vegetation. This shift from grassland
to cropland in the Prairies has resulted in increased losses in
organic matter and plant nutrients from the soil.
Finally, the third region most affected by the presence of humans
is the southwest of British Columbia. In fact, three-quarters of
British Columbia's population, or about 2.5 million people, live
in these areas. Most are concentrated in the Georgia Basin, where
large urban centres are located. The population has grown very rapidly
over the past few decades, largely as a result of immigration.
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