Science Needs to Support a Peatland Management and Climate Change Strategy for Northern Ontario.

Canada accounts for about 35% of northern peatlands, worldwide and Ontario contains about 30% of the peatland area and C sequestration and storage in Canada.  Thus, Ontario peatlands are important for provincial, national, and global C cycles.  The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) is currently developing a peatland management strategy in support of a broader provincial strategy for climate change and alternative energy production.  In relation to peatland management, issues such as peat extraction for energy and increasing hydroelectric power generation are being considered to help offset Ontario’s energy needs. To adequately manage peatlands, effects of climate change such as increased drought frequency, fire frequency, and permafrost melting on peatland C sequestration and global warming (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O) fluxes also need to be considered in the science strategy. Ultimately, a cumulative effects strategy for global warming potential fluxes needs to be considered in the peatland and climate change strategy. This presentation will discuss an overview of the science strategy currently being developed, with a focus on cumulative effects of global warming fluxes and how they can be used in the peatland management and climate change strategy for northern Ontario.